The Whole Booke of Psalmes ‎#18

18. The Lamentation

1 O Lord turne not away thy face
from him that lyes prostrate:
Lamenting sore his sinfull life
before thy mercy gate,
Which gate thou openest wide to those,
that doe lament their sinne:
Shut not that gate against me Lord,
but let me enter in.

2 And call me not to mine account,
How I have lived here:
For then I know right well O Lord,
How vile I shall appeare.
I need not to confesse my life,
I am sure thou canst tell:
What I have beene, and what I am,
I know thou knowest it well.

3 O Lord thou knowst what things be past
And eke the things that be:
Thou knowest also what is to come,
Nothing is hid from thee.
Before the heavens & earth wer made
Thow knowest what things were then,
As all things else that have been since,
Among the sonnes of men.

4 And can the things that I have done
Be hidden from thee then?
Nay, nay, thou knowest them all O Lord,
Where they were done and when.
Wherfore with teares I come to thee
To beg and to intreat,
Even as the childe that hath done ill,
And feareth to be beat.

5 So come I to thy mercy gate,
Where mercy doth abound:
Requiring mercy for my sinne,
To heale my deadly wound.
O Lord, I need not to repeat
What I have doe beg or crave:
Thou knowest O Lord before I aske
The thing that I would have.

6 Mercy good Lord, mercy I aske,
This is the totall summe:
For mercy Lord is all my sute,
Lord let thy mercy come.

Text Information

• First Line: O Lord turne not away thy face from him that lyes prostrate
• Title: The Lamentation
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1621
• Notes: Public domain.

Tune Information

• Name: [O Lord turne not away thy face from him that lyes prostrate]
• Harmonizer: J. Farmer
• Incipit: 13143 66555 43322
• Key: d minor or modal