¹The wilderness and the dry land will be glad. The desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. ²It will blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing. Lebanon’s glory will be given to it, the excellence of Carmel and Sharon. They will see Yahweh’s glory, the excellence of our God. ³Strengthen the weak hands, and make the feeble knees firm. ⁴Tell those who have a fearful heart, “Be strong! Don’t be afraid! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, God’s retribution. He will come and save you. ⁵Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. ⁶Then the lame man will leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute will sing; for waters will break out in the wilderness, and streams in the desert. ⁷The burning sand will become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water. Grass with reeds and rushes will be in the habitation of jackals, where they lay. ⁸A highway will be there, a road, and it will be called “The Holy Way”. The unclean shall not pass over it, but it will be for those who walk in the Way. Wicked fools shall not go there. ⁹No lion will be there, nor will any ravenous animal go up on it. They will not be found there; but the redeemed will walk there. ¹⁰Then Yahweh’s ransomed ones will return, and come with singing to Zion; and everlasting joy will be on their heads. They will obtain gladness and joy, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.”

²as newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, that with it you may grow, ³if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is gracious: ⁴coming to him, a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God, precious. ⁵You also, as living stones, are built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. ⁶Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.” ⁷For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,” ⁸and, “a stumbling stone and a rock of offense.” For they stumble at the word, being disobedient, to which also they were appointed. ⁹But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. ¹⁰In the past, you were not a people, but now are God’s people, who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.

¹“Don’t let your heart be troubled. Believe in God. Believe also in me. ²In my Father’s house are many homes. If it weren’t so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you. ³If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also. ⁴You know where I go, and you know the way.” ⁵Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?” ⁶Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me. ⁷If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on, you know him, and have seen him.” ⁸Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” ⁹Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you such a long time, and do you not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How do you say, ‘Show us the Father?’ ¹⁰Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I tell you, I speak not from myself; but the Father who lives in me does his works. ¹¹Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me; or else believe me for the very works’ sake. ¹²Most certainly I tell you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and he will do greater works than these, because I am going to my Father. ¹³Whatever you will ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴If you will ask anything in my name, I will do it.