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Isaiah 7:20
ESV In that day the Lord will shave with a razor that is hired beyond the River — with the king of Assyria — the head and the hair of the feet, and it will sweep away the beard also.
NIV In that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria—to shave your heads and private parts, and to cut off your beards also.
NASB On that day the Lord will shave with a razor, hired from regions beyond the Euphrates River ( that is, with the king of Assyria), the head and the hair of the legs; and it will also remove the beard.
CSB On that day the Lord will use a razor hired from beyond the Euphrates River—the king of Assyria —to shave the hair on your heads, the hair on your legs, and even your beards.
NLT In that day the Lord will hire a 'razor' from beyond the Euphrates River — the king of Assyria — and use it to shave off everything: your land, your crops, and your people.
KJV In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hired, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shall also consume the beard.
NKJV In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, With those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, The head and the hair of the legs, And will also remove the beard.

What does Isaiah 7:20 mean?

Isaiah continues to tell King Ahaz about the terrible days to come. This will happen because he refused to trust in the Lord to protect Judah (Isaiah 7:17). Instead, the king of Judah planned to ally with Assyria, hoping the king of Assyria would destroy Judah's enemies (2 Kings 16:7–9). To be allies, the much smaller nation of Judah would have to give something to Assyria in the form of payment or at least an agreement to be loyal to Assyria's king. In that sense, Ahaz literally "hired" Assyria to protect him.

The idea of Ahaz trying to "hire" Assyria to protect Judah is mocked here by the Lord is saying He will hire the king of Assyria to "shave" Judah. The culture of Isaiah's time and place had much to do with honor and shame. For a man to be shaved against his will was a sign of great humiliation. Some commentators suggest that defeated enemies might have half their head shaved and that slaves were given specific shaved haircuts to show their status.

In this case, though, it is the Lord who will "shave" His people in Judah. The common belief of the times was that when one nation defeated another it was because the conquerors had stronger gods. Isaiah wants all who reads his words to understand that the gods of the Assyrians will not defeat the God of Israel. Instead, it will be the Lord who brings this humiliation on His own people for their faithlessness to Him. He will use the king of Assyria to shave the nation. Judah will be left exposed, ashamed, and beaten.
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