31:25 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary
and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint. 1
4:31 In fact, 2 I hear a cry like that of a woman in labor,
a cry of anguish like that of a woman giving birth to her first baby.
It is the cry of Daughter Zion 3 gasping for breath,
reaching out for help, 4 saying, “I am done in! 5
My life is ebbing away before these murderers!”
1 tn The verbs here again emphasize that the actions are as good as done (i.e., they are prophetic perfects; cf. GKC 312-13 §106.n).
2 tn The particle כִּי (ki) is more likely asseverative here than causal.
3 sn Jerusalem is personified as a helpless maiden.
4 tn Heb “spreading out her hands.” The idea of asking or pleading for help is implicit in the figure.
5 tn Heb “Woe, now to me!” See the translator’s note on 4:13 for the usage of “Woe to…”