35:1 Let the desert and dry region be happy; 1
let the wilderness 2 rejoice and bloom like a lily!
35:2 Let it richly bloom; 3
let it rejoice and shout with delight! 4
It is given the grandeur 5 of Lebanon,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.
They will see the grandeur of the Lord,
the splendor of our God.
35:3 Strengthen the hands that have gone limp,
steady the knees that shake! 6
35:4 Tell those who panic, 7
“Be strong! Do not fear!
Look, your God comes to avenge!
With divine retribution he comes to deliver you.” 8
35:5 Then blind eyes will open,
deaf ears will hear.
35:6 Then the lame will leap like a deer,
the mute tongue will shout for joy;
for water will flow 9 in the desert,
streams in the wilderness. 10
35:7 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.