Psalms 81

1 For the music director. On the gittith. A psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; shout for joy 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 Start the song! Play the tambourine, sweet-sounding lyre, and harp.

Raise a song, and sound the tambour, the pleasant harp with the lute.

3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, and at full moon, to begin our festivals,

Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the set time, on our feast day:

4 for this is a rule for Israel, a regulation of the God of Jacob.

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

5 God made this statute for Joseph when he opposed the land of Egypt. I heard a voice I didn't know, saying:

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 load from your shoulders; I freed your hands from carrying heavy baskets.

I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.

7 In your suffering you cried out to me, and I saved you. I answered you from the thundercloud. I tested you 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 My people, listen to my warnings! Israel, please listen to me!

Hear, my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!

9 There must not be a strange god among you; you must never bow down to foreign gods and worship them.

There shall no strange god be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any foreign god.

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

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 didn't listen to me. Israel didn't want anything to do with me.

But my people hearkened not to my voice, and Israel would none of me.

12 So I sent them away to follow their stubborn thinking, living as they chose.

So I gave them up unto their own hearts' stubbornness: they walked after their own counsels.

13 If only my people would listen to me; if only Israel would follow my ways!

Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, that Israel had walked in my ways!

14 It wouldn't take me long to conquer their enemies, to strike down their foes.

I would soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, forever doomed.

The haters of Jehovah would have come cringing unto him; but their time would have been for ever.

16 But I would feed you the best wheat and satisfy you with 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.