| New International Version | NET Bible |
| 1The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, | 1Let the desert and dry region be happy; let the wilderness rejoice and bloom like a lily! |
| 2it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. 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. | 2Let 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. |
| 3Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; | 3Strengthen the hands that have gone limp, steady the knees that shake! |
| 4say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." | 4Tell those who panic, "Be strong! Do not fear! Look, your God comes to avenge! With divine retribution he comes to deliver you." |
| 5Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. | 5Then blind eyes will open, deaf ears will hear. |
| 6Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. | 6Then 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. |
| 7The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. | 7The 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. |
| 8And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. | 8A 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. |
| 9No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, | 9No 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, |
| 10and those the LORD has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. | 10those 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. |
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