< Psalms 81 >
1 For the leader. On the gittith. Of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength, shout for joy to the God of Jacob.
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph. Sing for joy to God our strength; make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, sound the timbrel, sweet lyre and harp.
Lift up a song, strike the tambourine, play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
3 On the new moon blow the horn, at the full moon, the day of our festival.
Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon, and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.
4 For this is a statute for Israel, a ruling of the God of Jacob,
For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 a witness he set up in Joseph, when he marched against Egypt’s land, where he heard an unknown voice say:
He ordained it as a testimony for Joseph when he went out over the land of Egypt, where I heard an unfamiliar language:
6 ‘I removed from your shoulder the burden, and freed your hands from the basket.
“I relieved his shoulder of the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.
7 At your call of distress I delivered you, from the thundercloud I answered you. At Meribah’s waters I tested you. (Selah)
You called out in distress, and I rescued you; I answered you from the cloud of thunder; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8 ‘Listen, my people, to my warning, O Israel, if you would but listen!
Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
9 There must not be a strange god among you, you must bow to no foreign god.
There must be no strange god among you, nor shall you bow to a foreign god.
10 I am the Lord your God who brought you up out of Egypt. Open your mouth, that I fill it.
I am the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth, and I will fill it.
11 ‘But my people did not listen to my voice, Israel would have none of me.
But My people would not listen to Me, and Israel would not obey Me.
12 So to their own hard hearts I left them, to follow their own devices.
So I gave them up to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13 O that my people would listen, that Israel would walk in my ways.
If only My people would listen to Me, if Israel would follow My ways,
14 Soon would I humble their enemies, and turn my hand on their foes.
how soon I would subdue their enemies and turn My hand against their foes!
15 Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him in everlasting terror.
Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience, and their doom would last forever.
16 But you would I feed with the richest wheat, and with honey from the rock to your heart’s desire.’
But I would feed you the finest wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”