KJV ORIGINAL
We have heard the fame thereof: our hands wax feeble: anguish hath taken hold of us, and pain, as of a woman in travail.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
We have heard the news about them, and our hands have become weak with fear. Anguish has gripped us, and we're in pain like a woman giving birth.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
The writer is describing how terrifying news has left people paralyzed with fear and overwhelmed with pain.
📚 Historical Context
This verse comes from Jeremiah's prophecies about the coming Babylonian invasion of Judah around 600 BC. The people of Jerusalem are imagining how they will react when they hear reports of the approaching enemy army. Jeremiah often used the image of childbirth pain to describe the intensity of suffering that would come upon the nation due to their unfaithfulness to God.
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