And they said unto him, Thus saith Hezekiah, This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and blasphemy; for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth. (2 Kings 19:3)
For many years Isaiah had been predicting such a time as this. It was one of the greatest crises that Judah had ever faced, and, without divine intervention, the situation might well bring the nation to its final ruin.
Strength to bring forth.
A striking figure emphasizing the terrible extremity. Most of Judah had already fallen before Assyrian might, and now the invaders threatened the capital.