Isaiah 35:1-9 ▼

1 The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose.

2 It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon (whiteness) will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel (garden-land) and Sharon (a plain). They will see the glory of the LORD {YHWH}, the splendor of our God {Elohenu}.

3 Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees !

4 Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your⁺ God {Eloheikem} will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you⁺.”

5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped.

6 Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert.

7 The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals (serpents) once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.

8 And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it—only those who walk in the Way—and fools will not stray onto it.

9 No lion will be there, and no vicious beast will go up on it. Such will not be found there, but the redeemed will walk upon it.