The Ransomed Shall Return

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

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

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

(N)And a highway shall be there,
    and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
(O)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]
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.
10 (P)And the ransomed of the Lord shall return
    and come to Zion with singing;
(Q)everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
    they shall obtain gladness and joy,
    and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 35:8 Or if they are fools, they shall not wander in it

The Future Glory of Zion

35 The (A)wilderness and the [a]wasteland shall be glad for them,
And the (B)desert[b] shall rejoice and blossom as the rose;
(C)It shall blossom abundantly and rejoice,
Even with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
The excellence of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the (D)glory of the Lord,
The excellency of our God.

(E)Strengthen the [c]weak hands,
And make firm the [d]feeble knees.
Say to those who are fearful-hearted,
“Be strong, do not fear!
Behold, your God will come with (F)vengeance,
With the recompense of God;
He will come and (G)save you.”

Then the (H)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (I)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then the (J)lame shall leap like a deer,
And the (K)tongue of the dumb sing.
For (L)waters shall burst forth in the wilderness,
And streams in the desert.
The parched ground shall become a pool,
And the thirsty land springs of water;
In (M)the habitation of jackals, where each lay,
There shall be grass with reeds and rushes.

A (N)highway shall be there, and a road,
And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.
(O)The unclean shall not pass over it,
But it shall be for others.
Whoever walks the road, although a fool,
Shall not go astray.
(P)No lion shall be there,
Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;
It shall not be found there.
But the redeemed shall walk there,
10 And the (Q)ransomed of the Lord shall return,
And come to Zion with singing,
With everlasting joy on their heads.
They shall obtain joy and gladness,
And (R)sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 35:1 desert
  2. Isaiah 35:1 Heb. arabah
  3. Isaiah 35:3 Lit. sinking
  4. Isaiah 35:3 tottering or stumbling

神圣之路

35 旷野和干旱之地必然欢喜,
沙漠也必快乐;
又如玫瑰绽放,
朵朵繁茂,
其乐融融,而且欢呼。
黎巴嫩的荣耀,
迦密沙仑的华美,必赐给它。
人要看见耶和华的荣耀,
看见我们 神的荣美。

你们要使软弱的手强壮,
使无力的膝盖稳固;
对心里焦急的人说:
“要刚强,不要惧怕。
看哪,你们的 神要来施报,
要施行极大的报应,
他必来拯救你们。”

那时,盲人的眼必睁开,
聋子的耳必开通。
那时,瘸子必跳跃如鹿,
哑巴的舌头必欢呼。
在旷野有水喷出,
在沙漠有江河涌流。
火热之地要变为水池,
干渴之地要变为泉源。
野狗躺卧休息之处
必长出青草、芦苇和蒲草。

在那里必有一条大道,
就是一条路[a],称为圣路。
污秽的人不得经过,
是专为走路的人[b]预备的,
愚昧的人也不会迷路。
在那里没有狮子,
猛兽也不经过;
在那里它们未现踪迹,
只有救赎的民在那里行走。
10 耶和华救赎的民必归回,
歌唱来到锡安
永远的快乐必归到他们头上,
他们必得着欢喜快乐,
忧伤叹息尽都逃避。

Footnotes

  1. 35.8 死海古卷没有“就是一条路”。
  2. 35.8 “走路的人”或译“赎民”。