1 Let the desert and dry region be happy;let the wilderness rejoice and bloom like a lily!
2 Let it richly bloom;let it rejoice and shout with delight!It is given the grandeur of Lebanon,the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.They will see the grandeur of the Lord,the splendor of our God.
3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,steady the knees that shake!
4 Tell those who panic,“Be strong! Do not fear!Look, your God comes to avenge!With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.”
5 Then blind eyes will open,deaf ears will hear.
6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,the mute tongue will shout for joy;for water will flow in the desert,streams in the wilderness.
7 The dry soil will become a pool of water,the parched ground springs of water.Where jackals once lived and sprawled out,grass, reeds, and papyrus will grow.
8 A thoroughfare will be there – it will be called the Way of Holiness.The unclean will not travel on it;it is reserved for those authorized to use it – fools will not stray into it.
9 No lions will be there,no ferocious wild animals will be on it – they will not be found there.Those delivered from bondage will travel on it,
10 those whom the Lord has ransomed will return that way.They will enter Zion with a happy shout.Unending joy will crown them,happiness and joy will overwhelm them;grief and suffering will disappear.