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 psaltery.

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

3 Blow in the month a trumpet, 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 a statute to Israel it [is], An ordinance of the God of Jacob.

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

5 A testimony on Joseph He hath placed it, 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 From the burden his shoulder I turned aside, His hands from the basket pass over.

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

7 In distress thou hast called and I deliver thee, I answer thee in the secret place of thunder, I try thee 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 thee, O Israel, if thou dost hearken to me:

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

9 There is not in thee a strange god, And thou bowest not thyself to a strange god.

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

10 I [am] Jehovah thy God, Who bringeth thee up out of the land of Egypt. Enlarge thy 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 hearkened not to My voice, And Israel hath 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 hearkening to Me, Israel in My ways would walk.

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

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

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

15 Those hating Jehovah feign obedience to Him, But their time is — to the age.

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

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

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