Joy of the Redeemed

35 The desert(A) and the parched land will be glad;
    the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.(B)
Like the crocus,(C) it will burst into bloom;
    it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.(D)
The glory of Lebanon(E) will be given to it,
    the splendor of Carmel(F) and Sharon;(G)
they will see the glory(H) of the Lord,
    the splendor of our God.(I)

Strengthen the feeble hands,
    steady the knees(J) that give way;
say(K) to those with fearful hearts,(L)
    “Be strong, do not fear;(M)
your God will come,(N)
    he will come with vengeance;(O)
with divine retribution
    he will come to save(P) you.”

Then will the eyes of the blind be opened(Q)
    and the ears of the deaf(R) unstopped.
Then will the lame(S) leap like a deer,(T)
    and the mute tongue(U) shout for joy.(V)
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
    and streams(W) in the desert.
The burning sand will become a pool,
    the thirsty ground(X) bubbling springs.(Y)
In the haunts where jackals(Z) once lay,
    grass and reeds(AA) and papyrus will grow.

And a highway(AB) will be there;
    it will be called the Way of Holiness;(AC)
    it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The unclean(AD) will not journey on it;
    wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion(AE) will be there,
    nor any ravenous beast;(AF)
    they will not be found there.
But only the redeemed(AG) will walk there,
10     and those the Lord has rescued(AH) will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;(AI)
    everlasting joy(AJ) will crown their heads.
Gladness(AK) and joy will overtake them,
    and sorrow and sighing will flee away.(AL)

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The Voiceless Break into Song

35 1-2 Wilderness and desert will sing joyously,
    the badlands will celebrate and flower—
Like the crocus in spring, bursting into blossom,
    a symphony of song and color.
Mountain glories of Lebanon—a gift.
    Awesome Carmel, stunning Sharon—gifts.
God’s resplendent glory, fully on display.
    God awesome, God majestic.

3-4 Energize the limp hands,
    strengthen the rubbery knees.
Tell fearful souls,
    “Courage! Take heart!
God is here, right here,
    on his way to put things right
And redress all wrongs.
    He’s on his way! He’ll save you!”

5-7 Blind eyes will be opened,
    deaf ears unstopped,
Lame men and women will leap like deer,
    the voiceless break into song.
Springs of water will burst out in the wilderness,
    streams flow in the desert.
Hot sands will become a cool oasis,
    thirsty ground a splashing fountain.
Even lowly jackals will have water to drink,
    and barren grasslands flourish richly.

8-10 There will be a highway
    called the Holy Road.
No one rude or rebellious
    is permitted on this road.
It’s for God’s people exclusively—
    impossible to get lost on this road.
    Not even fools can get lost on it.
No lions on this road,
    no dangerous wild animals—
Nothing and no one dangerous or threatening.
    Only the redeemed will walk on it.
The people God has ransomed
    will come back on this road.
They’ll sing as they make their way home to Zion,
    unfading halos of joy encircling their heads,
Welcomed home with gifts of joy and gladness
    as all sorrows and sighs scurry into the night.

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35 Imagine the wilderness whooping for joy,
    the desert’s unbridled happiness with its spring flowers.
It will happen! The deserts will come alive with new growth budding and blooming,
    singing and celebrating with sheer delight.
The glory of Lebanon’s cedars and the majesty of Carmel and Sharon
    will spill over to the deserts.
The glory of the Eternal One will be on full display there,
    and they will revel in the majestic splendor of our God.

So, with confidence and hope in this message,
    strengthen those with feeble hands, shore up the weak-kneed and weary.
Tell those who worry, the anxious and fearful,
    “Take strength; have courage! There’s nothing to fear.
Look, here—your God! Right here is your God!
    The balance is shifting; God will right all wrongs.
None other than God will give you success.
    He is coming to make you safe.”

Then, such healing, such repair: the eyes of the blind will be opened;
    the ears of the deaf will be clear.
6-7 The lame will leap like deer excited;
    they will run and jump tirelessly and gracefully.
The stutterer, the stammerer, and the tongue of the mute
    will sing out loud and clear in joyful song.
Waters will pour through the deserts;
    streams will flow in godforsaken lands.
Burning sands and hardened wastelands will become pools, shimmering with life;
    the thirsty ground will drink deep from refreshing springs.
Abandoned villages where predators once lurked will become grassy playgrounds.
    Dry, arid land will turn lush and green.

And the road to this happy renovation will be clearly signed.
    People will declare the way itself to be holy—the route, “sacred.”
Only those who are right with God
    will be able to walk its pleasant path,
And nobody—no visitor, no dimwit—will get lost along it.
There’ll be no lions lying in wait, no predators or dangers in sight.
    Only those made right with God will journey there.
10 Those whom the Eternal One has recalled from a punishing exile,
    they will go along so easily. They will walk this path,
Come waltzing to Zion, singing their way
    to that place of right relation to God.
An aura of joy never-ending will attend them;
    they will clasp gladness and joy to their hearts,
While sadness and despair evaporate into thin air.

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