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.


A song of degrees. Out of the deepe places haue I called vnto thee, O Lord.

Lord, heare my voyce: let thine eares attend to the voyce of my prayers.

If thou, O Lord, straightly markest iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

But mercie is with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

I haue waited on the Lord: my soule hath waited, and I haue trusted in his worde.

My soule waiteth on the Lord more then the morning watch watcheth for the morning.

Let Israel waite on the Lord: for with the Lord is mercie, and with him is great redemption.

And he shall redeeme 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/geneva1599/psalms/chapter-33/20">Psalms 33:20</a>. Read more songs of ascent on the <a href="/bible/geneva1599/psalms">Psalms overview</a>, or move ahead to the quiet humility of <a href="/bible/geneva1599/psalms/chapter-131">Psalms 131</a>.