9:3 When I heard this report, I tore my tunic and my robe and ripped out some of the hair from my head and beard. Then I sat down, quite devastated. 9:4 Everyone who held the words of the God of Israel in awe 1 gathered around me because of the unfaithful acts of the people of the exile. 2 Devastated, I continued to sit there until the evening offering.
9:5 At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, 3 with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God.
1 tn Heb “who trembled at the words of the God of Israel.”
2 tn Heb “the exile”; the words “the people” are not in the Hebrew text, but are supplied in the translation for clarity.
3 tn The Hebrew word used here is a hapax legomenon. It refers to the self-abasement that accompanies religious sorrow and fasting.