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.

To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength: make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.

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

Take a psalm, and strike the timbrel, the pleasant harp with 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 in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

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

For this was a statute for Israel, and 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:

This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.

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

I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.

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; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. (Selah)

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 testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me;

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

There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange 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 am the LORD thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, 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 hearken to my voice; and Israel would not obey me.

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

So I gave them up to their own hearts’ lust: and they walked in their own counsels.

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

O that my people had hearkened to me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

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

I should soon have subdued 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 the LORD should have submitted themselves to him: and their time should have endured for ever.

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

He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock I should have satisfied thee.