The Ransomed Shall Return
aThe wilderness and the dry land shall be glad;
bthe desert shall rejoice and blossom like the crocus;
2 it shall blossom abundantly
and rejoice with joy and singing.
aThe glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of bCarmel and cSharon.
dThey shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
3 aStrengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
4 Say to those who have an anxious heart,
“Be strong; fear not!
aBehold, your God
will come with vengeance,
with the recompense of God.
He will come and save you.”
5 aThen the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
6 athen shall the lame man leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.
bFor waters break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
7 athe burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
in the haunt of bjackals, where they lie down,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
8 aAnd a highway shall be there,
and it shall be called the Way of Holiness;
bthe unclean shall not pass over it.
It shall belong to those who walk on the way;
even if they are fools, they shall not go astray.
9 No lion shall be there,
nor shall any ravenous beast come up on it;
they shall not be found there,
but the redeemed shall walk there.
10 aAnd the ransomed of the Lord shall return
and come to Zion with singing;
beverlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain gladness and joy,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.