Psalms 81

1 For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

“For the leader of the music. On the Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.” Sing joyfully to God, our strength! Shout with gladness to the God of Jacob!

2 Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.

Raise a song, and strike the timbrel, The sweet-sounding harp, and the psaltery!

3 Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.

Blow the trumpet at the new moon; At the full moon, also, on our festal day!

4 For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

For this is a statute for Israel, A law of the God of Jacob;

5 He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an unfamiliar language:

He appointed it as a memorial in Joseph, When he went out of the land of Egypt, Where he heard a language which he knew not.

6 “I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.

“I relieved [[said he]] thy shoulders from their burden; Thy hands were removed from the hod.

7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.

Thou didst call in trouble, and I delivered thee; In the secret place of thunder I answered thee; I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. (Pause)

8 Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!

Hear, O my people! and I will admonish thee! O Israel! that thou wouldst hearken to me!

9 There must be no strange god among you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.

Let there be no strange god within thee, Nor worship thou any foreign god!

10 I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.

I Jehovah am thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: Open wide thy mouth, and I will fill it!

11 But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.

But my people would not listen to my voice, And Israel would not hearken to me.

12 So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.

So I gave them up to the obstinacy of their hearts, And they walked according to their own devices.

13 If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways,

“O that my people had hearkened to me! That Israel had walked in my ways!

14 how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!

Soon would I have brought low their enemies, And turned my hand against their adversaries.

15 Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience, and their doom would last forever.

The haters of Jehovah should have become suppliants to them, And their prosperity should have endured for ever.

16 But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

With the finest of the wheat I would have fed them, And with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied them.”