Forever Free

Isaiah 35

Good News Translation (GNT)

The Road of Holiness

35 The desert will rejoice,
    and flowers will bloom in the wastelands.
² The desert will sing and shout for joy;
    it will be as beautiful as the Lebanon Mountains
    and as fertile as the fields of Carmel and Sharon.
Everyone will see the Lord's splendor,
    see his greatness and power.

³ Give strength to hands that are tired
    and to knees that tremble with weakness.
⁴ Tell everyone who is discouraged,
    “Be strong and don't be afraid!
    God is coming to your rescue,
    coming to punish your enemies.”

⁵ The blind will be able to see,
    and the deaf will hear.
⁶ The lame will leap and dance,
    and those who cannot speak will shout for joy.
Streams of water will flow through the desert;
⁷     the burning sand will become a lake,
    and dry land will be filled with springs.
Where jackals used to live,
    marsh grass and reeds will grow.

⁸ There will be a highway there,
    called “The Road of Holiness.”
No sinner will ever travel that road;
    no fools will mislead those who follow it.^[a]
9 No lions will be there;
    no fierce animals will pass that way.
Those whom the Lord has rescued
    will travel home by that road.
¹⁰ They will reach Jerusalem with gladness,
    singing and shouting for joy.
They will be happy forever,
    forever free from sorrow and grief.