^21 (A) Judah was an empty desert, and it stayed that way for 70 years, to make up for all the years it was not allowed to rest.^[a] These things happened just as Jeremiah the Lord's prophet had said.^[b]

^10 (A) After Babylonia has been the strongest nation for 70 years, I will be kind and bring you back to Jerusalem, just as I have promised.

Daniel Prays for the People

9 ^1-2 (A) Daniel wrote:

Some years later, Darius the Mede,^[a] who was the son of Xerxes,^[b] had become king of Babylonia. And during his first year as king, I found out from studying the writings of the prophets that the Lord had said to Jeremiah, “Jerusalem will lie in ruins for 70 years.”^[c]