Isaiah 34:1–35:10
34 Come near, you nations, and listen;e
pay attention, you peoples!f
Let the earthg hear, and all that is in it,
the world, and all that comes out of it!h
2 The Lord is angry with all nations;
his wrathi is on all their armies.
He will totally destroya j them,
he will give them over to slaughter.k
3 Their slainl will be thrown out,
their dead bodiesm will stink;n
the mountains will be soaked with their blood.o
4 All the stars in the sky will be dissolvedp
and the heavens rolled upq like a scroll;
all the starry host will fallr
like withereds leaves from the vine,
like shriveled figs from the fig tree.
5 My swordt has drunk its fill in the heavens;
see, it descends in judgment on Edom,u
the people I have totally destroyed.v
6 The swordw of the Lord is bathed in blood,
it is covered with fat—
the blood of lambs and goats,
fat from the kidneys of rams.
For the Lord has a sacrificex in Bozrahy
and a great slaughterz in the land of Edom.
7 And the wild oxena will fall with them,
the bull calves and the great bulls.b
Their land will be drenched with blood,c
and the dust will be soaked with fat.
8 For the Lord has a dayd of vengeance,e
a year of retribution,f to uphold Zion’s cause.
9 Edom’s streams will be turned into pitch,
her dust into burning sulfur;g
her land will become blazing pitch!
10 It will not be quenchedh night or day;
its smoke will rise forever.i
From generation to generationj it will lie desolate;k
no one will ever pass through it again.
11 The desert owlb l and screech owlc will possess it;
the great owld and the ravenm will nest there.
God will stretch out over Edomn
the measuring line of chaoso
and the plumb linep of desolation.
12 Her nobles will have nothing there to be called a kingdom,
all her princesq will vanishr away.
13 Thornss will overrun her citadels,
nettles and brambles her strongholds.t
She will become a haunt for jackals,u
a home for owls.v
14 Desert creaturesw will meet with hyenas,x
and wild goats will bleat to each other;
there the night creaturesy will also lie down
and find for themselves places of rest.
15 The owl will nest there and lay eggs,
she will hatch them, and care for her young
under the shadow of her wings;z
there also the falconsa will gather,
each with its mate.
16 Look in the scrollb of the Lord and read:
None of these will be missing,c
not one will lack her mate.
For it is his mouthd that has given the order,e
and his Spirit will gather them together.
17 He allots their portions;f
his hand distributes them by measure.
They will possess it forever
and dwell there from generation to generation.g
35 The deserth and the parched land will be glad;
the wilderness will rejoice and blossom.i
Like the crocus,j 2 it will burst into bloom;
it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy.k
The glory of Lebanonl will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmelm and Sharon;n
they will see the gloryo of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.p
3 Strengthen the feeble hands,
steady the kneesq that give way;
4 sayr to those with fearful hearts,s
“Be strong, do not fear;t
your God will come,u
he will come with vengeance;v
with divine retribution
he will come to savew you.”
5 Then will the eyes of the blind be openedx
and the ears of the deafy unstopped.
6 Then will the lamez leap like a deer,a
and the mute tongueb shout for joy.c
Water will gush forth in the wilderness
and streamsd in the desert.
7 The burning sand will become a pool,
the thirsty grounde bubbling springs.f
In the haunts where jackalsg once lay,
grass and reedsh and papyrus will grow.
8 And a highwayi will be there;
it will be called the Way of Holiness;j
it will be for those who walk on that Way.
The uncleank will not journey on it;
wicked fools will not go about on it.
9 No lionl will be there,
nor any ravenous beast;m
they will not be found there.
But only the redeemedn will walk there,
10 and those the Lord has rescuedo will return.
They will enter Zion with singing;p
everlasting joyq will crown their heads.
Gladnessr and joy will overtake them,
and sorrow and sighing will flee away.s