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Isaiah 35
Our plain-language guide next to the Bible text. Each row lines up one section with the verses it explains.
Section 1: The Desert Will RejoiceVerses 1 to 2
"The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose" (35:1).
Imagine a dry, cracked desert suddenly covered in flowers.
It will be as green as Lebanon's forests and Carmel's hills.
"They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God" (35:2).
1The wilderness and the land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. 2It will bloom profusely and rejoice with joy and singing. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God.
Section 2: Be Strong, Do Not FearVerses 3 to 4
"Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees!" (35:3).
Limp hands and shaky knees are what happens when people are scared or tired.
Say to those with anxious hearts, "Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come" (35:4).
God will come to set things right and to save his people.
3Strengthen the limp hands and steady the feeble knees! 4Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
Section 3: The Blind Will SeeVerses 5 to 7
"Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped" (35:5).
"Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy" (35:6). Mute means unable to speak.
Water will gush out in the desert. Dry ground will become pools and springs.
5Then the eyes of the blind will be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6Then the lame will leap like a deer and the mute tongue will shout for joy. For waters will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. 7The parched ground will become a pool, the thirsty land springs of water. In the haunt where jackals once lay, there will be grass and reeds and papyrus.
Section 4: The Way of HolinessVerses 8 to 10
A highway will run through the desert. "And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness" (35:8).
No lions or wild animals will be on it. It will be safe.
"But the redeemed will walk upon it" (35:9). The redeemed are people God has set free.
"So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee" (35:10).
Zion means Jerusalem, God's city.
8And there will be a highway called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not travel it— only those who walk in the Way— and fools will not stray onto it. 9No lion will be there, and no vicious beast will go up on it. Such will not be found there, but the redeemed will walk upon it. 10So the redeemed of the LORD will return and enter Zion with singing, crowned with everlasting joy. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee.
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