Isaiah's Warning Sign about Egypt and Cush

In the year Ashdod was attacked and taken by the Assyrians, the Lord spoke to Isaiah son of Amoz. This was a tense moment in history, and God used his prophet to give a sign with a message beyond Ashdod itself.

God told Isaiah to loosen the sackcloth from his waist and take his sandals off his feet. Isaiah obeyed. He walked naked and barefoot, becoming a sign that would make people stop and ask what it meant.

Then the Lord explained the meaning. Isaiah had walked that way for three years as a sign concerning Egypt and Cush. In the same way, the king of Assyria would lead away captives from Egypt and exiles from Cush, young and old, in shame.

People who had hoped in Cush and boasted in Egypt would be dismayed. Those living along the coast would realise that the nations they looked to for help could not rescue them from the king of Assyria. They would ask how they themselves could escape.