< Isaiah 35 >
1 The wilderness and dry land will celebrate; the desert will blossom like the crocus.
Wilderness and parched land, shall be glad for them, —And the waste plain, shall exult, and blossom as the lily:
2 Bloom profusely, celebrate and sing! The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They shall see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.
It shall, blossom abundantly, and exult, Yea with exultation and shouts of triumph, The glory of Lebanon, hath been given to it, The splendour of Carmel, and Sharon, —They, shall see the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God.
3 Make the weak hands strong, and make the trembling knees firm!
Strengthen ye the weak hands, —The trembling knees, make ye firm:
4 Tell those who are frightened, “Be strong! Don't be afraid! Look, your God is coming to punish his enemies, with divine retribution he will come to save you.”
Say to the hurried in heart, Be strong, Do not fear, —Lo! your God, with avenging, doth come, With the recompence of God, He, doth come to save you.
5 When that happens, the blind will see, and the deaf will hear.
Then, shall be opened the eyes of the blind, —And, the ears of the deaf, be unstopped:
6 The lame will jump like a deer, and the dumb will sing for joy. Springs will gush in the wilderness; streams will flow in the desert.
Then, shall leap as a hart the lame, Then shall shout the tongue of the dumb, For, there have broken forth—In the desert—waters, And streams, in the waste plain:
7 The dried-up ground will become like a pool, the arid land like water springs. In the place where jackals used to live, there will be grass and reeds and rushes.
Then shall the glowing sand, become a lake, And thirsty ground—springs of water, —In the home of the wild dog—its lair, Shall be an enclosure for cane and paper—reed.
8 There will be a highway there, a road called “The Way of Holiness.” Nobody bad will travel on it, only those who follow the Way. Fools will not go there.
And there shall be there, a raised way—even a high road, And the Highroad of Holiness, shall it be called, There shall not pass over it one who is unclean; But He Himself, shall be one of them travelling the road, And the perverse, shall not stray [thereinto].
9 No lions or other dangerous animals will be found there on the road—only the redeemed will walk along it.
There shall be, there, no lion, Nor shall ravenous beast, go up thereon, It shall not be found, there, —Thus, shall travel the redeemed;
10 Those the Lord has set free will return, singing as they enter Jerusalem, wearing crowns of everlasting joy. They are overcome with thankfulness and happiness; sorrow and sadness simply disappear.
And the ransomed of Yahweh! shall return, And shall enter Zion with shouting, With gladness age-abiding, upon their head, Joy and gladness shall overtake them, And sorrow and sighing, shall flee away.