1. It was the first year that Darius was king of Babylonia. He was from Media and was the son of Xerxes.
2. In that year I learned from the Scriptures that Jerusalem would remain destroyed for 70 years. That was what the Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah.
3. So I prayed to the Lord God. I begged him. I made many appeals to him. I didn't eat anything. I put on black clothes. And I sat down in ashes.