KJV ORIGINAL
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
They will be terrified: anguish and grief will grip them; they will suffer like a woman in childbirth. They will stare at each other in shock, their faces flushed red with fear.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is describing how people will be overwhelmed with terror and pain when God's judgment comes, comparing their anguish to the intense pain of childbirth.
📚 Historical Context
This verse is part of Isaiah's prophecy about the fall of Babylon, delivered around 740-680 BC. Isaiah was warning of God's coming judgment on this powerful empire that would later conquer Jerusalem. The imagery reflects how even the mightiest nations would be helpless before God's righteous judgment.
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