Isaiah 35
1 They rejoice from the wilderness and dry place, And the desert rejoices, And flourishes as the rose,
[Some day, it will be as though] the desert [and other very] dry areas are glad [DOU]; the desert will rejoice and flowers will blossom. Like crocuses/daffodils,
2 Flourishing it flourishes, and rejoices, Indeed, [with] joy and singing, The glory of Lebanon has been given to it, The beauty of Carmel and Sharon, They see the glory of YHWH, The majesty of our God.
the desert will produce flowers abundantly; [it will be as though] everything is rejoicing and singing! The deserts will become as beautiful as [SIM] [the trees in] Lebanon, as fertile [SIM] as the plains of the Sharon and Carmel [areas]. [There] people will see the glory of Yahweh; they will see that he is magnificent.
3 Strengthen the feeble hands, Indeed, strengthen the stumbling knees.
[So], encourage those who are tired and weak.
4 Say to the hurried of heart, “Be strong, Do not fear, behold, your God; vengeance comes, The repayment of God, He Himself comes and saves you.”
Say to those who are afraid, “Be strong and do not be afraid, because our God is going to come to get revenge [on his enemies]; he will (pay them back/punish them) for what they have done, and he will rescue you.”
5 Then eyes of the blind are opened, And ears of the deaf are unstopped,
When he does that, [he will enable] blind people to see and [enable] deaf people to hear.
6 Then the lame leap as a deer, And the tongue of the mute sings, For waters have been broken up in a wilderness, And streams in a desert.
Lame people will leap like deer, and those who have been unable to speak will sing joyfully. Water will gush out [from springs] in the desert; streams will flow in the desert.
7 And the mirage has become a pond, And the thirsty land—fountains of waters, In the habitation of dragons, Its place of lying down, A court for reed and rush.
The very dry ground will become a pool of water, and springs will provide water for the dry land. Grass and reeds and papyrus will grow in places where the jackals/wolves lived previously.
8 And a highway has been there, and a way, And it is called the “Way of Holiness.” The unclean do not pass over it, And He Himself [is] by them, Whoever is going in the way—even fools do not err.
And there will be a highway through that land; it will be called ‘the Holy Highway’. People who are not acceptable to God will not walk on that road; it will be only for those who conduct their lives as God wants them to; foolish people will become lost while walking on that road.
9 No lion is there, Indeed, a destructive beast does not ascend it, It is not found there, And the redeemed have walked,
There will not be any lions there or any other dangerous animals along that road. Only those who have been freed [from being slaves in Babylonia] will walk on it.
10 And the ransomed of YHWH return, And have entered Zion with singing, And [with] continuous joy on their head, They attain joy and gladness, And sorrow and sighing have fled away!
Those whom Yahweh has freed will return to Jerusalem; they will sing as they enter the city; they will be extremely joyful [MET, PRS] forever. No longer will they be sad or mourn; they will be [completely] joyful [DOU].
