Psalms 81
1 To the chief music-maker; put to the Gittith. Of Asaph. Make a song to God our strength: make a glad cry to the God of Jacob.
To the chief Musician. Upon the Gittith. [A Psalm] of Asaph. Sing ye joyously unto God our strength, shout aloud unto the God of Jacob;
2 Take up the melody, playing on an instrument of music, even on corded instruments.
Raise a song, and sound the tambour, the pleasant harp with the lute.
3 Let the horn be sounded in the time of the new moon, at the full moon, on our holy feast-day:
Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the set time, on our feast day:
4 For this is a rule for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.
For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob;
5 He gave it to Joseph as a witness, when he went out over the land of Egypt; then the words of a strange tongue were sounding in my ears.
He ordained it in Joseph [for] a testimony, when he went forth over the land of Egypt, [where] I heard a language that I knew not.
6 I took the weight from his back; his hands were made free from the baskets.
I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
7 You gave a cry in your trouble, and I made you free; I gave you an answer in the secret place of the thunder; I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah. (Selah)
Thou calledst 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 Give ear, O my people, and I will give you my word, O Israel, if you will only do as I say!
Hear, my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
9 There is to be no strange god among you; you are not to give worship to any other god.
There shall no strange god be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God, who took you up from the land of Egypt: let your mouth be open wide, so that I may give you food.
I am Jehovah thy God, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 But my people did not give ear to my voice; Israel would have nothing to do with me.
But my people hearkened not to my voice, and Israel would none of me.
12 So I gave them up to the desires of their hearts; that they might go after their evil purposes.
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' stubbornness: they walked after their own counsels.
13 If only my people would give ear to me, walking in my ways!
Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, that Israel had walked in my ways!
14 I would quickly overcome their haters: my hand would be turned against those who make war on them.
I would soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.
15 The haters of the Lord would be broken, and their destruction would be eternal.
The haters of Jehovah would have come cringing unto him; but their time would have been for ever.
16 I would give them the best grain for food; you would be full of honey from the rock.
And he would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee.
