The plant sprouted and became a low, wide-spreading grapevine. The branches grew upward toward the eagle, and the roots grew deep. The vine was covered with branches and leaves.

to keep the nation from rising again and to make sure that the treaty would be kept.

The Sovereign LORD says, "I will destroy the idols and the false gods in Memphis. There will be no one to rule Egypt, and I will terrify all the people.

When they pass through their sea of trouble, I, the LORD, will strike the waves, and the depths of the Nile will go dry. Proud Assyria will be humbled, and mighty Egypt will lose her power.

"Mortal man," he said, "say to the king of Egypt and all his people: How powerful you are! What can I compare you to?

"Mortal man," he said, "give a solemn warning to the king of Egypt. Give him this message from me: You act like a lion among the nations, but you are more like a crocodile splashing through a river. You muddy the water with your feet and pollute the rivers.

When he invades all those countries, even Egypt will not be spared.

He will take away Egypt's hidden treasures of gold and silver and its other prized possessions. He will conquer Libya and Ethiopia.

Nineveh, are you any better than Thebes, the capital of Egypt? She too had a river to protect her like a wall---the Nile was her defense.

She ruled Ethiopia and Egypt, there was no limit to her power; Libya was her ally.