# We have heard

The word "We" probably refers to Jeremiah and the people of Judah.

# our hands fall limp in distress

"our hands are weak because we are anxious"

# Anguish seizes us

Feeling great anguish is spoken of as if the anguish grabs them. Alternate translation: "We feel terrible anguish" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# as a woman giving birth

The anguish that they feel because the enemy coming to attack them is compared to the anguish that a woman feels when she is about to give birth to a baby. Alternate translation: "like a woman who is about to give birth" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])