1 In the yeere that Tartan came to Ashdod, (when Sargon King of Asshur sent him) and had fought against Ashdod, and taken it, 2 At the same time spake the Lord by ye hand of Isaiah the sonne of Amoz, saying, Goe, and loose the sackecloth from thy loynes, and put off thy shooe from thy foote. And he did so, walking naked and barefoote. 3 And the Lord said, Like as my seruant Isaiah hath walked naked, and barefoote three yeeres, as a signe and wonder vpon Egypt, and Ethiopia, 4 So shall the King of Asshur take away the captiuitie of Egypt, and the captiuitie of Ethiopia, both yong men and olde men, naked and barefoote, with their buttockes vncouered, to the shame of Egypt. 5 And they shall feare, and be ashamed of Ethiopia their expectation, and of Egypt their glory. 6 Then shall the inhabitant of this yle say in that day, Behold, such is our expectation, whither we fledde for helpe to be deliuered from the King of Asshur, and howe shall we be deliuered?
The Sign of the Naked Prophet
1 Under the orders of Emperor Sargon of Assyria, the commander-in-chief of the Assyrian army attacked the Philistine city of Ashdod. 2 Three years earlier the Lord had told Isaiah son of Amoz to take off his sandals and the sackcloth he was wearing. He obeyed and went around naked and barefoot. 3 When Ashdod was captured, the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has been going around naked and barefoot for three years. This is a sign of what will happen to Egypt and Ethiopia. 4 The emperor of Assyria will lead away naked the prisoners he captures from those two countries. Young and old, they will walk barefoot and naked, with their buttocks exposed, bringing shame on Egypt. 5 Those who have put their trust in Ethiopia and have boasted about Egypt will be disillusioned, their hopes shattered. 6 When that time comes, the people who live along the coast of Philistia will say, ‘Look at what has happened to the people we relied on to protect us from the emperor of Assyria! How will we ever survive?’”