Assyria Will Defeat Egypt and Ethiopia

V1 Sargon II was the king of Assyria. He assigned his military commander to fight against Ashdod. The commander went there and captured the city. 

V2 At that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz. He said, “Go, take the sackcloth off your waist and the sandals off your feet.” So Isaiah obeyed the Lord and went without clothes or sandals.

V3 Then the Lord said, “My servant Isaiah has gone without clothes or sandals for three years. This is a sign for Egypt and Ethiopia. 

V4 The king of Assyria will defeat Egypt and Ethiopia. Assyria will take prisoners and lead them away from their countries. People, young and old, will be led away without clothes or sandals. They will be completely naked. 

V5 Those who looked to Ethiopia for help will be shattered. Those who were amazed by Egypt’s glory will be ashamed.”

V6 People living along the coast will say, “We trusted those countries to help us. We ran to them so that they would rescue us from the king of Assyria. But look at them. They have already been captured, so how can we escape?”

APPENDIX

EXTRA NOTE: Sargon II was the king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 722 BC to his death in battle in 705. Probably the son of Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon is generally believed to have become king after overthrowing Shalmaneser V. Shalmaneser V was probably his brother. 

Died: 705 BC, Tabal

Children: Sennacherib

Parents: Tiglath-Pileser III

Prophets during Isaiah’s time in history…

• Hosea: Prophesied in the northern kingdom of Israel until its conquest by Assyria in 722 BCE, using the metaphor of his own difficult marriage to illustrate Israel’s unfaithfulness to God.
• Isaiah: His active ministry took place before and during this period, and he continued to prophesy in Judah, offering warnings and assurances to the kingdom during the Assyrian threat.
• Micah: Also, a prophet in Judah, his ministry overlapped with Isaiah’s, and he prophesied during the time of the Assyrian siege of Jerusalem.
• Jonah: While the book of Jonah is set in the 8th century BCE, the time period of Isaiah, he was not involved outside of his mission to Nineveh.

Rev. Dr. Jstark – 2025