Psalm 130
New English Translation
Psalm 130[a]
A song of ascents.[b]
130 From the deep water[c] I cry out to you, O Lord.
2 O Lord, listen to me.[d]
Pay attention to[e] my plea for mercy.
3 If you, O Lord, were to keep track of[f] sins,
O Lord, who could stand before you?[g]
4 But[h] you are willing to forgive,[i]
so that you might[j] be honored.[k]
5 I rely on[l] the Lord.
I rely on him with my whole being;[m]
I wait for his assuring word.[n]
6 I yearn for the Lord,[o]
more than watchmen do for the morning,
yes, more than watchmen do for the morning.[p]
7 O Israel, hope in the Lord,
for the Lord exhibits loyal love,[q]
and is more than willing to deliver.[r]
8 He will deliver[s] Israel
from all their sins.[t]
Footnotes
- Psalm 130:1 sn Psalm 130. The psalmist, confident of the Lord’s forgiveness, cries out to the Lord for help in the midst of his suffering and urges Israel to do the same.
- Psalm 130:1 sn The precise significance of this title, which appears in Pss 120-134, is unclear. Perhaps worshipers recited these psalms when they ascended the road to Jerusalem to celebrate annual religious festivals. For a discussion of their background see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 219-21.
- Psalm 130:1 tn Heb “depths,” that is, deep waters (see Ps 69:2, 14; Isa 51:10), a metaphor for the life-threatening danger faced by the psalmist.
- Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “my voice.”
- Psalm 130:2 tn Heb “may your ears be attentive to the voice of.”
- Psalm 130:3 tn Heb “observe.”
- Psalm 130:3 tn The words “before you” are supplied in the translation for clarification. The psalmist must be referring to standing before God’s judgment seat. The rhetorical question expects the answer, “No one.”
- Psalm 130:4 tn Or “surely.”
- Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “for with you [there is] forgiveness.”
- Psalm 130:4 tn Or “consequently you are.”
- Psalm 130:4 tn Heb “feared.”
- Psalm 130:5 tn Or “wait for.”
- Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “my soul waits.”
- Psalm 130:5 tn Heb “his word.”
- Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “my soul for the master.”
- Psalm 130:6 tn Heb “more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning.” The words “yes, more” are supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “for with the Lord [is] loyal love.”
- Psalm 130:7 tn Heb “and abundantly with him [is] redemption.”
- Psalm 130:8 tn Or “redeem.”
- Psalm 130:8 tn Or “all the consequences of their sins.” The Hebrew noun עָוֹן (ʿavon) can refer to sin, the guilt sin produces, or the consequences of sin. Only here is the noun collocated with the verb פָּדָה (padah, “to redeem; to deliver”). The psalmist may refer to deliverance from the national consequences of sin or forgiveness per se (v. 4). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 192.
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