Isaiah 34:15-35:8

English Standard Version

¹⁵There the owl nests and lays
    and hatches and gathers her young in her shadow;
indeed, there ^(A)the hawks are gathered,
    each one with her mate.
¹⁶Seek and read from the book of the Lord:
    Not one of these shall be missing;
    none shall be without her mate.
For the mouth of the Lord has commanded,
    and his Spirit has gathered them.
¹⁷^(B)He has cast the lot for them;
    his hand has portioned it out to them with the line;
they shall possess it forever;
    from generation to generation they shall dwell in it.

The Ransomed Shall Return

35 ^(C)The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
    ^(D)the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
²it shall blossom abundantly
    and rejoice with joy and singing.
^(E)The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
    the majesty of ^(F)Carmel and ^(G)Sharon.
^(H)They shall see the glory of the Lord,
    the majesty of our God.

³^(I)Strengthen the weak hands,
    and make firm the feeble knees.
⁴Say to those who have an anxious heart,
    “Be strong; fear not!
^(J)Behold, your God
    will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
    He will come and save you.”

⁵^(K)Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
⁶^(L)then shall the lame man leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
^(M)For waters break forth in the wilderness,
    and streams in the desert;
⁷^(N)the burning sand shall become a pool,
    and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of ^(O)jackals, where they lie down,
    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.

⁸^(P)And a highway shall be there,
    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
^(Q)the unclean shall not pass over it.
    It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
    even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.^[a]