Psalms 81

1 TO THE OVERSEER. ON THE GITTITH. BY ASAPH. Cry aloud to God our strength, Shout 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 Lift up a song, and give out a timbrel, A pleasant harp with stringed instrument.

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

3 Blow a horn in the month, In the new moon, at the day of our festival,

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

4 For it [is] a statute to Israel, An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

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

5 He has placed it—a testimony on Joseph, In his going forth over the land of Egypt. A lip, I have not known—I hear.

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 turned aside his shoulder from the burden, His hands pass over from the basket.

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

7 In distress you have called and I deliver you, I answer you in the secret place of thunder, I try you by 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 Hear, O My people, and I testify to you, O Israel, if you listen to me:

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

9 There is not in you a strange god, And you do not bow yourself to a strange god.

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

10 I [am] your God YHWH, Who brings you up out of the land of Egypt. Enlarge your mouth, and I 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 did not listen to My voice, And Israel has not consented to Me.

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

12 And I send them away in the enmity of their heart, They walk in their own counsels.

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

13 O that My people were listening to Me, Israel would walk in My ways.

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

14 As a little thing I cause their enemies to bow, And I turn back My hand against their adversaries,

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

15 Those hating YHWH should have feigned [obedience] to Him, And their time would last for all time.

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

16 He causes him to eat of the fat of wheat, And I satisfy you [with] honey from a rock!

And he would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee.