Isaiah 35
New King James Version
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;
2 (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.
3 (E)Strengthen the [c]weak hands,
And make firm the [d]feeble knees.
4 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.”
5 Then the (H)eyes of the blind shall be opened,
And (I)the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
6 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.
7 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.
8 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.
9 (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
- Isaiah 35:1 desert
- Isaiah 35:1 Heb. arabah
- Isaiah 35:3 Lit. sinking
- Isaiah 35:3 tottering or stumbling
Isaiah 35
Easy-to-Read Version
God Will Comfort His People
35 The dry desert will rejoice. The desert will be glad and blossom. 2 It will be covered with flowers and dance with joy. It will be as beautiful as the forest of Lebanon, the hill of Carmel, and the Sharon Valley. This will happen because all people will see the Glory of the Lord. They will see the beauty of our God.
3 Make the weak arms strong again. Strengthen the weak knees. 4 People are afraid and confused. Say to them, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid!” Look, your God will come and punish your enemies. He will come and give you your reward. He will save you. 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened so that they can see, and the ears of the deaf will be opened so that they can hear. 6 Crippled people will dance like deer, and those who cannot speak now will use their voices to sing happy songs. This will happen when springs of water begin to flow in the dry desert. 7 Now people see mirages[a] that look like water, but then there will be real pools of water. There will be wells in the dry land where water flows from the ground. Tall water plants will grow where wild animals once ruled.
8 There will be a road there. This highway will be called “The Holy Road.” Evil people will not be allowed to walk on that road. No fools[b] will walk on it. Only good people will walk there. 9 There will be no dangers on that road. There will be no lions there to hurt people or any dangerous animals on it. That road will be for the people God saves.
10 The Lord will make his people free, and they will come back to him. They will come into Zion rejoicing. They will be happy forever. Their happiness will be like a crown on their heads. Gladness and joy will fill them completely. Sorrow and sadness will be far, far away.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 35:7 mirages In the desert, heat rising from the ground looks like water from far away. This is a mirage.
- Isaiah 35:8 fools Here, this means people who don’t follow God and his wise teachings.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006 by Bible League International