Isaiah 35

1 The waste land and the dry places will be glad; the lowland will have joy and be full of flowers.

The wilderness and the parched land shall be glad, And the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose;

2 It will be flowering like the rose; it will be full of delight and songs; the glory of Lebanon will be given to it; the pride of Carmel and Sharon: they will see the glory of the Lord, the power of our God.

It shall blossom abundantly, and exult with joy and singing; The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it; The beauty of Carmel and Sharon; They shall behold the glory of Jehovah, The majesty of our God;

3 Make strong the feeble hands, give support to the shaking knees.

Strengthen ye the weak hands, And confirm the tottering knees!

4 Say to those who are full of fear, Be strong and take heart: see, your God will give punishment; the reward of God will come; he himself will come to be your saviour.

Say ye to the faint-hearted, “Be ye strong; fear ye not; Behold your God! Vengeance cometh, the retribution of God; He will come and save you!”

5 Then the eyes of the blind will see, and the ears which are stopped will be open.

Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened, And the ears of the deaf be unstopped.

6 Then will the feeble-footed be jumping like a roe, and the voice which was stopped will be loud in song: for in the waste land streams will be bursting out, and waters in the dry places.

Then shall the lame leap like the hart, And the tongue of the dumb shall sing; For in the wilderness shall waters break forth, And streams in the desert.

7 And the burning sand will become a pool, and the dry earth springs of waters: the fields where the sheep take their food will become wet land, and water-plants will take the place of grass.

The glowing sands shall become a pool, And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the habitation of jackals, where they lie, Shall be a place for reeds and rushes.

8 And a highway will be there; its name will be, The Holy Way; the unclean and the sinner may not go over it, and those who go on it will not be turned out of the way by the foolish.

And a path shall be there, and a highway, And it shall be called the holy way; No unclean person shall pass over it; it shall be for them alone; He that therein goeth in this way, though a fool, shall not err therein.

9 No lion will be there, or any cruel beast; they will not be seen there; but those for whom the Lord has given a price,

No lion shall be there, Nor shall any ravenous beast go up thereon; It shall not be found there; But the redeemed shall walk there.

10 Even those whom he has made free, will come back again; they will come with songs to Zion; on their heads will be eternal joy; delight and joy will be theirs, and sorrow and sounds of grief will be gone for ever.

Yea, the ransomed of Jehovah shall return; They shall come to Zion with songs: Everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; They shall obtain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing shall flee away.