Isaiah 35

The Road of Holiness

35The desert will rejoice,

and flowers will bloom in the wilderness.

²The 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 splendour,

see his greatness and power.

^3*Give strength to hands that are tired

and to knees that tremble with weakness.

⁴Tell everyone who is discouraged,

“Be strong and don’t be afraid!

God is

coming to your rescue, coming to punish your enemies.”

^5*The blind will be able to see,

and the deaf will hear.

^6*The lame will leap and dance,

and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.

Streams of water will flow through the desert;

⁷the 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.

⁸There 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.^y

⁹No lions will be there; no fierce animals will pass that way.

Those whom the Lord has rescued will travel home by that road.

¹⁰They will reach Jerusalem with gladness, singing and shouting for joy.

They will be happy for ever, for ever free from sorrow and grief.