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 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, and give out a timbrel, A pleasant harp with stringed instrument.

Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

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

Blow the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

4 For it [is] a statute to 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 has placed it—a testimony on Joseph, In his going forth over the land of Egypt. A lip, I have not known—I hear.

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

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

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, O my people, and I will testify to thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to 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 strange 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] 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 did not listen to My voice, And Israel has not consented to Me.

But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would not obey me.

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

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

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

O that my people had hearkened to me, [and] 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 should 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 the LORD should have submitted themselves to him: and their time should have endured for ever.

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

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