Isaiah 35

¹ Let the wilderness and the dry-lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom,

² let it bring forth flowers like the jonquil, let it rejoice and sing for joy. The glory of Lebanon is bestowed on it, the splendour of Carmel and Sharon; they shall see the glory of Yahweh, the splendour of our God.

³ Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees

⁴ and say to all faint hearts, ‘Courage! Do not be afraid. ‘Look, your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you.’

⁵ Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed,

⁶ then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy; for water gushes in the desert, streams in the wasteland,

⁷ the scorched earth becomes a lake, the parched land springs of water. The lairs where the jackals used to live become thickets of reed and papyrus…

⁸ And through it will run a highway undefiled which shall be called the Sacred Way; the unclean may not travel by it, nor fools stray along it.

⁹ No lion will be there nor any fierce beast roam about it, but the redeemed will walk there,

¹⁰ for those Yahweh has ransomed shall return. They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended.