Isaiah 26:17
◄  Isaiah 26:17  ►
New International Version (©2011)
As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pain, so were we in your presence, LORD.

New Living Translation (©2007)
Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out in pain as she gives birth, so were we in your presence, LORD.

English Standard Version (©2001)
Like a pregnant woman who writhes and cries out in her pangs when she is near to giving birth, so were we because of you, O LORD;

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth, She writhes and cries out in her labor pains, Thus were we before You, O LORD.

King James Bible (Cambridge Ed.)
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.

Holman Christian Standard Bible (©2009)
As a pregnant woman about to give birth writhes and cries out in her pains, so we were before You, LORD.

International Standard Version (©2012)
Just as a pregnant woman writhes and cries out during her labor when she is about to give birth, so were we because of you, LORD.

NET Bible (©2006)
As when a pregnant woman gets ready to deliver and strains and cries out because of her labor pains, so were we because of you, O LORD.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
O LORD, when we are with you, we are like pregnant women ready to give birth. They writhe and cry out in their labor pains.

King James 2000 Bible (©2003)
Like a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and cries out in her pangs; so have we been in your sight, O LORD.

American King James Version
Like as a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and cries out in her pangs; so have we been in your sight, O LORD.

American Standard Version
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so we have been before thee, O Jehovah.

Douay-Rheims Bible
As a woman with child, when she draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs: so are we become in thy presence, O Lord.

Darby Bible Translation
As a woman with child, that draweth near her delivery, is in travail, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been before thee, Jehovah.

English Revised Version
Like as a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been before thee, O LORD.

Webster's Bible Translation
As a woman with child, that draweth near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; so have we been in thy sight, O LORD.

World English Bible
Like as a woman with child, who draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain and cries out in her pangs; so we have been before you, Yahweh.

Young's Literal Translation
When a pregnant woman cometh near to the birth, She is pained -- she crieth in her pangs, So we have been from Thy face, O Jehovah.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

26:12-19 Every creature, every business, any way serviceable to our comfort, God makes to be so; he makes that work for us which seemed to make against us. They had been slaves of sin and Satan; but by the Divine grace they were taught to look to be set free from all former masters. The cause opposed to God and his kingdom will sink at last. See our need of afflictions. Before, prayer came drop by drop; now they pour it out, it comes now like water from a fountain. Afflictions bring us to secret prayer. Consider Christ as the Speaker addressing his church. His resurrection from the dead was an earnest of all the deliverance foretold. The power of his grace, like the dew or rain, which causes the herbs that seem dead to revive, would raise his church from the lowest state. But we may refer to the resurrection of the dead, especially of those united to Christ.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 17. - Like as a woman with child (comp. Isaiah 13:8; Isaiah 21:3). Isaiah uses the metaphor to express any severe pain combined with anxiety. So have we been in thy sight; rather, so have we been at thy presence. When thou wert visiting us in anger, and laying thy chastisements upon us.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Like as a woman with child,.... By this simile are set forth the great distresses and afflictions the church of Christ will be in, before redemption and deliverance from the antichristian yoke comes:

that draweth near the time of her delivery; when her burden is great and very troublesome:

is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs; for her friends to come about her, and give her all the help and assistance they can:

so have we been in thy sight, O Lord; in great distress and trouble, and crying to him for salvation and deliverance, all which were well known unto him.

Wesley's Notes on the Bible

26:17 Like - Such was our anguish and danger.

Isaiah 26:17 Parallel Commentaries
Bible Hub: Online Parallel Bible


Song of Trust in God's Provision
…16LORD, in trouble have they visited you, they poured out a prayer when your chastening was on them. 17Like as a woman with child, that draws near the time of her delivery, is in pain, and cries out in her pangs; so have we been in your sight, O LORD. 18We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not worked any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. …

John 16:21 A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
Revelation 12:2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.
Isaiah 13:8 Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
Isaiah 21:3 At this my body is racked with pain, pangs seize me, like those of a woman in labor; I am staggered by what I hear, I am bewildered by what I see.
Isaiah 37:3 They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them.