Psalms 81

1 To the Overseer. — 'On the Gittith.' By Asaph. Cry aloud to God our strength, Shout to the God of Jacob.

“For the leader of the music. On the Gittith. A psalm of Asaph.” Sing joyfully to God, our strength! Shout with gladness to the God of Jacob!

2 Lift up a song, and give out a timbrel, A pleasant harp with psaltery.

Raise a song, and strike the timbrel, The sweet-sounding harp, and the psaltery!

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 full moon, also, on our festal day!

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

For this is a statute for Israel, A law 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 appointed it as a memorial in Joseph, When he went out of the land of Egypt, Where he heard a language which he knew not.

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

“I relieved [[said he]] thy shoulders from their burden; Thy hands were removed from the hod.

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 didst call in trouble, and I delivered thee; In the secret place of thunder I answered thee; I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. (Pause)

8 Hear, O My people, and I testify to thee, O Israel, if thou dost hearken to me:

Hear, O my people! and I will admonish thee! O Israel! that thou wouldst hearken to me!

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

Let there be no strange god within thee, Nor worship thou 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 Jehovah am thy God, Who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: Open wide thy mouth, and I will fill it!

11 But, My people hearkened not to My voice, And Israel hath not consented to Me.

But my people would not listen to my voice, And Israel would not hearken to 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 the obstinacy of their hearts, And they walked according to their own devices.

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

“O that my people had hearkened to 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,

Soon would I have brought low 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 should have become suppliants to them, And their prosperity should have endured for ever.

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

With the finest of the wheat I would have fed them, And with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied them.”