Chapter 10 of 4 Ezra presents the destruction of Jerusalem through the metaphor of a "woman in labor." Pain and mourning represent the trauma of destruction and crisis. This powerful image permeates apocalyptic literature, although each individual author attributes to it a different meaning and scope. Similarly, prophetic texts in the Hebrew Bible also employ the same metaphor. In this paper, I will briefly examine a selection of prophetic and apocalyptic Jewish texts in which the image of the "woman in labor" appears. These texts were composed in different historical and cultural contexts—often in response to religious or socio-political crises. In all cases, however, the image serves to describe the relationship between God and His people. Beginning with prophetic texts such as Isaiah 21:3, Hosea 13:13, and Micah 5:2, moving through pre-70 CE writings like 1 Enoch 62:4, 4QpMic 1, 1QHa 11 and 13, and Romans 8:22, and concluding with post-70 CE texts such as Revelation 12, 4 Ezra 10, and 2 Baruch 22, I will analyze the use and transformation of this metaphor in response to trauma. Furthermore, in some apocalyptic texts, childbirth is not a moment of joy but a sign of degeneration, symbolizing the birth of giants or monsters as a consequence of sin (e.g., 1 Enoch 7; 4 Ezra 5:8). Through this analysis, I aim to explore not only the historical events possibly alluded to by these prophecies or visions, but also the reasons why such a highly evocative image is used—an image that lends itself equally to historical and eschatological interpretation. Ultimately, the focus will be on how the author imagines not merely the pain associated with trauma or destruction, but the birth of something new, and what message this might convey to their audience.