Psalms 81

1 For the chief musician; set to the Gittith style. A psalm of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; shout out 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 Sing a song and play the tambourine, the pleasant lyre with the harp.

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

3 Blow the trumpet on the day of the new moon, on the day of the full moon, when our feast day begins.

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

4 For it is a statute for Israel, a decree given by the God of Jacob.

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

5 He issued it as a regulation in Joseph when he went against the land of Egypt, where I heard a voice that I did not recognize:

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

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

7 In your distress you called out, and I helped you; I answered you from a dark 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 Listen, my people, for I will warn you, Israel, if you would only listen to me!

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

9 There must be no foreign god among you; you must not worship any foreign god.

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

10 I am Yahweh 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 did not listen to my words; Israel did not obey me.

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

12 So I gave them over to their own stubborn way so that they might do what seemed right to them.

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

13 Oh, that my people would listen to me; oh, that my people would walk in my paths.

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

14 Then I would quickly subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their oppressors.

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

15 May those who hate Yahweh cringe in fear before him! May they be humiliated forever.

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

16 I would feed Israel with the finest wheat; I would satisfy you with honey out of 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.