God Will Comfort His People
35 The desert and dry land will become happy.
The desert will be glad and will produce flowers.
Like a flower, 2 it will have many blooms.
It will show its happiness, as if it is shouting with joy.
It will be beautiful like the forest of Lebanon.
It will be as beautiful as the hill of Carmel and the Plain of Sharon.
All people will see the glory of the Lord.
They will see the splendor of our God.
3 Make the weak hands strong.
Make the weak knees strong.
4 Say to people who are afraid and confused,
“Be strong. Don’t be afraid.
Look, your God will come,
and he will punish your enemies.
He will make them pay for the wrongs they did.
He will come and save you.”
5 Then the blind people will see again.
Then the deaf will hear.
6 Crippled people will jump like deer.
And those who can’t talk now will shout with joy.
Springs of water will flow in the desert.
Streams will flow in the dry land.
7 The burning desert will have pools of water.
The dry ground will have springs.
Where wild dogs once lived,
grass and water plants will grow.
8 A road will be there.
This highway will be called “The Road to Being Holy.”
Evil people will not be allowed to walk on that road.
Only good people will walk on that road.
No fools will go on it.
9 No lions will be there.
No dangerous animals will be on that road.
They will not be found there.
That road will be for the people God saves.
10 The people the Lord has freed will return there.
They will enter Jerusalem with joy.
Their happiness will last forever.
Their gladness and joy will fill them completely.
Sorrow and sadness will go far away.