Daniel 9:2-3

9:2 in the first year of his reign ¹  I, Daniel, came to understand from the sacred books ²  that, according to the word of the LORD ³  disclosed to the prophet Jeremiah, the years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem ⁴  were seventy in number. 9:3 So I turned my attention ⁵  to the Lord God ⁶  to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. ⁷ 

¹ tc This phrase, repeated from v. 1, is absent in Theodotion.

² tn The Hebrew text has “books”; the word “sacred” has been added in the translation to clarify that it is Scriptures that are referred to.

³ sn The tetragrammaton (the four Hebrew letters which constitute the divine Name, YHWH) appears eight times in this chapter, and nowhere else in the book of Daniel.

⁴ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

⁵ tn Heb “face.”

⁶ tn The Hebrew phrase translated “Lord God” here is אֲדֹנָי הָאֱלֹהִים (’adonay ha’elohim).

⁷ sn When lamenting, ancient Israelites would fast, wear sackcloth, and put ashes on their heads to show their sorrow and contrition.