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Isaiah 26:16-18
Contemporary English Version
Isaiah 26:16-18
Contemporary English Version
The Lord Gives Life to the Dead
16 When you punished our people,
they turned and prayed
to you, our Lord.[a]
17 Because of what you did to us,
we suffered like a woman
about to give birth.
18 But instead of having a child,
our terrible pain
produced only wind.
We have won no victories,
and we have no descendants
to take over the earth.
Footnotes
- 26.16 Lord: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 16.
Isaiah 26:16-18
New International Version
Isaiah 26:16-18
New International Version
16 Lord, they came to you in their distress;(A)
when you disciplined(B) them,
they could barely whisper(C) a prayer.[a]
17 As a pregnant woman about to give birth(D)
writhes and cries out in her pain,
so were we in your presence, Lord.
18 We were with child, we writhed in labor,
but we gave birth(E) to wind.
We have not brought salvation(F) to the earth,
and the people of the world have not come to life.(G)
Footnotes
- Isaiah 26:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.