Isaiah 35:1-10

A message of hope

1 The desert and the dry land will be happy!

The wilderness will be happy too,

and beautiful flowers will grow there.

2 Yes, there will be lots of flowers!

The land will sing and shout with joy!

The desert will be as beautiful as Lebanon.

It will seem like lovely places in Carmel and in Sharon.

In those places, people will see the Lord's glory.

They will see that our God is very great.

3 If your hands feel weak,

now be strong!

If your knees are shaking,

now be brave!

4 Say this to people who are afraid:

‘Be strong! Do not be afraid!

Your God is coming now.

He is coming to punish his enemies

for the bad things that they have done.

He is coming to rescue you!’

5 At that time, he will open the eyes of blind people.

Deaf people will hear again.

6 People with weak legs will jump like deer.

People who cannot speak now will shout with joy.

Water will pour from springs in the desert.

Streams of water will run in the wilderness.

7 The hot earth will become a pool of water.

The dry ground will have springs of water.

In the places where jackals made their homes,

there will now be grasses and reeds.

8 There will be a great road there.

It will be called ‘The Holy Way’.

People who are unclean will not travel on it.

It will be for those people who know God's way.

Evil fools will not walk on it.

9 No lions will be there.

No dangerous wild animals will come onto it.

They will not come near to it.

It is the people that the Lord has rescued

who will travel on that road.

10 He has paid the price to rescue them,

and they will return home along it.

They will be happy and they will sing,

as they go into Zion city.

They will be very happy for ever.

They will never again be sad or upset.

All the time they will be completely happy.