² at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah son of Amoz.^(A) He said to him, “Take off the sackcloth^(B) from your body and the sandals^(C) from your feet.” And he did so, going around stripped^(D) and barefoot.^(E)

³ Then the Lord said, “Just as my servant^(F) Isaiah has gone stripped and barefoot for three years,^(G) as a sign^(H) and portent^(I) against Egypt^(J) and Cush,^{[a](K) 4} so the king^(L) of Assyria will lead away stripped^(M) and barefoot the Egyptian captives^(N) and Cushite^(O) exiles, young and old, with buttocks bared^(P)—to Egypt’s shame.^(Q)

19 This is what the Lord says: “Go and buy a clay jar from a potter.^(A) Take along some of the elders^(B) of the people and of the priests

¹⁰ “Then break the jar^(A) while those who go with you are watching,

¹¹ and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord Almighty says: I will smash^(A) this nation and this city just as this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired. They will bury^(B) the dead in Topheth until there is no more room.

² This is what the Lord said to me: “Make a yoke^(A) out of straps and crossbars and put it on your neck.

³ Then send^(A) word to the kings of Edom, Moab, Ammon,^(B) Tyre and Sidon^(C) through the envoys who have come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah king of Judah.

⁹ “While the Jews are watching, take some large stones^(A) with you and bury them in clay in the brick^(B) pavement at the entrance to Pharaoh’s palace^(C) in Tahpanhes.

⁶³ When you finish reading this scroll, tie a stone to it and throw it into the Euphrates.^(A)

Siege of Jerusalem Symbolized

4 “Now, son of man, take a block of clay, put it in front of you and draw the city of Jerusalem on it. ² Then lay siege to it: Erect siege works against it, build a ramp^(A) up to it, set up camps against it and put battering rams around it.^{(B) 3} Then take an iron pan,^(C) place it as an iron wall between you and the city and turn your face toward^(D) it. It will be under siege, and you shall besiege it. This will be a sign^(E) to the people of Israel.^(F)

⁴ “Then lie on your left side and put the sin of the people of Israel upon yourself.^[a] You are to bear their sin for the number of days you lie on your side. ⁵ I have assigned you the same number of days as the years of their sin. So for 390 days you will bear the sin of the people of Israel.

⁶ “After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin^(G) of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year.^{(H) 7} Turn your face^(I) toward the siege of Jerusalem and with bared arm prophesy against her. ⁸ I will tie you up with ropes so that you cannot turn from one side to the other until you have finished the days of your siege.^(J)

⁹ “Take wheat and barley, beans and lentils, millet and spelt;^(K) put them in a storage jar and use them to make bread for yourself. You are to eat it during the 390 days you lie on your side. ¹⁰ Weigh out twenty shekels^[b](L) of food to eat each day and eat it at set times. ¹¹ Also measure out a sixth of a hin^[c] of water and drink it at set times.^{(M) 12} Eat the food as you would a loaf of barley bread; bake it in the sight of the people, using human excrement^(N) for fuel.” ¹³ The Lord said, “In this way the people of Israel will eat defiled food among the nations where I will drive them.”^(O)