The image of a woman in the pains of childbirth continues to be applied to the people of Judah in this verse. In verses 16-17 these pains may have described the way the people prayed, or the way they suffered as a the result of Yahweh’s punishing action. In verse 18 we learn that these childbirth pangs were supposed to end in a real birth, but it never happened.

We were with child is a metaphor rather than simile. It may be better in some languages to use a simile here, as in verse 17; for example, “It is as though we were pregnant.” This will indicate that this is an illustration rather than a fact.

We writhed repeats the verb from the previous verse. If the repetition cannot be kept, this clause may be rendered “we were in severe pain” (similarly Good News Translation).

We have as it were brought forth wind: Instead of giving birth to a child, the people produced nothing but wind. The Hebrew expression rendered as it were introduces a comparison. Here it compares the birth of a real child with producing nothing but wind. The Hebrew phrase rendered brought forth wind is probably a euphemistic expression for “making a bad smell.” Good News Translation says “but we gave birth to nothing,” but this does not convey the line’s irony. What the prophet means here is explained in the last two lines of the verse. Two failures are listed, but the interpretation of the lines is difficult.

We have wrought no deliverance in the earth: There are two terms here that are open to differing interpretations. First, there is the word deliverance, which renders a plural form of the Hebrew word often translated “salvation.” New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, and Bible en français courant say “salvation,” but Good News Translation, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, and New Jewish Publication Society’s Tanakh use “victory/victories.” The idea of “victory/victories” fits the context better. God’s people were unable to defeat the foreign armies he sent to punish them. The second term rendered in different ways is earth. Usually the Hebrew word for earth is rendered “land.” Revised English Bible and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “the land,” referring to the land of Judah. Good News Translation makes this clear by saying “our land.” Most versions, however, have the earth, so that this line has a universal sense like the next one.

And the inhabitants of the world have not fallen: This is the second failure of God’s people. As in verse 9, the inhabitants of the world refer to all who live in the world. There are two possible interpretations for the Hebrew verb rendered fallen. Most translations render it in the sense of “giving birth”; for example, New International Version renders this line as “we have not given birth to people of the world,” and Revised English Bible says “[We have] given birth to no one to inhabit the world.” New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and Bible en français courant are similar. According to this interpretation of fallen, the prophet laments that he and his people were unable to bear children to populate the world. The other possible sense it can have here is “defeat.” Judah failed to defeat its enemies, causing their downfall. The Revised Standard Version rendering can be understood in this way. Another way to say it is “we did not bring about the downfall of the world’s people.” Some translations avoid the exegetical problem here by rendering this line in a very general way; for example, Good News Translation says “we have accomplished nothing.” This latter sense fits closely with the notion of bringing forth nothing but wind.

Obviously any translation of this verse should provide a footnote indicating that the Hebrew text is difficult to comprehend (see Good News Translation). Translators can consider the following examples for this verse:

• We were pregnant and enduring the pains of childbirth,
but it was as though all we produced was gas/wind.
We have not won any victories in the land,
nor have we defeated the inhabitants of the world [or, nor did we bear children to inhabit the world].

• We were like a pregnant woman in childbirth,
but giving birth to nothing but wind.
We failed to gain victory in the land,
and failed to bring about the downfall of the inhabitants of the world.

Quoted with permission from Ogden, Graham S. and Sterk, Jan. A Handbook on Isaiah. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2011. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .