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The Road of Holiness

35 The desert will rejoice,
    and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
The desert will sing and shout for joy;
    it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains
    and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon.
Everyone will see the Lord's splendor,
    see his greatness and power.

(A)Give strength to hands that are tired
    and to knees that tremble with weakness.
Tell everyone who is discouraged,
    “Be strong and don't be afraid!
    God is coming to your rescue,
    coming to punish your enemies.”

(B)The blind will be able to see,
    and the deaf will hear.
The lame will leap and dance,
    and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
Streams of water will flow through the desert;
    the burning sand will become a lake,
    and dry land will be filled with springs.
Where jackals used to live,
    marsh grass and reeds will grow.

There will be a highway there,
    called “The Road of Holiness.”
No sinner will ever travel that road;
    no fools will mislead those who follow it.[a]
No lions will be there;
    no fierce animals will pass that way.
Those whom the Lord has rescued
    will travel home by that road.
10 They will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
    singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
    forever free from sorrow and grief.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 35:8 Probable text no fools … follow it; Hebrew unclear.

The Return of the Redeemed to Zion

35 The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
    the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus(A) it shall blossom abundantly
    and rejoice with joy and shouting.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
    the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
    the majesty of our God.]][a](B)

Strengthen the weak hands
    and make firm the feeble knees.(C)
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
    “Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
    He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
    He will come and save you.”(D)

Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
    and the ears of the deaf shall be opened;(E)
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
    and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness
    and streams in the desert;(F)
the burning sand shall become a pool
    and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp;[b]
    the grass shall become reeds and rushes.(G)

A highway shall be there,[c]
    and it shall be called the Holy Way;
the unclean shall not travel on it,[d]
    but it shall be for God’s people;[e]
    no traveler, not even fools, shall go astray.(H)
No lion shall be there,
    nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
    but the redeemed shall walk there.(I)
10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
    and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
    they shall obtain joy and gladness,
    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.(J)

Footnotes

  1. 34.17–35.2 Q ms lacks 34.17–35.2
  2. 35.7 Cn: Heb in the haunt of jackals is her resting place
  3. 35.8 Q ms Gk Syr: MT A highway and a way shall be there
  4. 35.8 Or pass it by
  5. 35.8 Cn: Heb for them

35 The desert and the dry land will be glad;
the ‘Aravah will rejoice and blossom like the lily.
It will burst into flower,
will rejoice with joy and singing,
will be given the glory of the L’vanon,
the splendor of Karmel and the Sharon.
They will see the glory of Adonai,
the splendor of our God.

Strengthen your drooping arms,
and steady your tottering knees.
Say to the fainthearted, “Be strong and unafraid!
Here is your God; he will come with vengeance;
with God’s retribution he will come and save you.”

Then the eyes of the blind will be opened,
and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped;
then the lame man will leap like a deer,
and the mute person’s tongue will sing.
For in the desert, springs will burst forth,
streams of water in the ‘Aravah;
the sandy mirage will become a pool,
the thirsty ground springs of water.
The haunts where jackals lie down will become
a marsh filled with reeds and papyrus.

A highway will be there, a way,
called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not pass over it,
but it will be for those whom he guides —
fools will not stray along it.
No lion or other beast of prey
will be there, traveling on it.
They will not be found there,
but the redeemed will go there.
10 Those ransomed by Adonai will return
and come with singing to Tziyon,
on their heads will be everlasting joy.
They will acquire gladness and joy,
while sorrow and sighing will flee.

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.