Psalms 130

A penitential psalm crying from the depths for mercy.

Psalms 130 - Out of the Depths I Cried

Psalm 130 begins with one of the Psalter's most quoted lines, "out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD," as the writer asks who could stand if God marked every iniquity. Its urgent tone contrasts with the harsher plea against enemies in Psalms 129.


Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Jehovah.

Lord, hear my voice. Let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

If thou, Jehovah, should note iniquities, O Lord, who could stand?

But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may be feared.

I wait for Jehovah. My soul waits, and in his word do I hope,

my soul for the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.

O Israel, hope in Jehovah, for with Jehovah there is loving kindness, and with him is plentiful redemption.

And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

The psalmist's patient hope, waiting "more than they that watch for the morning," closely parallels the confident trust of <a href="/bible/acv/psalms/chapter-33/20">Psalms 33:20</a>. Read more songs of ascent on the <a href="/bible/acv/psalms">Psalms overview</a>, or move ahead to the quiet humility of <a href="/bible/acv/psalms/chapter-131">Psalms 131</a>.