Psalm 81
For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.aa
1 Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.ab
2 Lift up a song—play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp.ac
3 Blow the trumpet on the day of our feastsH
during the new moonad
and during the full moon.
4 For this is a statute for Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob.ae
5 He set it up as a decree for Joseph
when he went throughoutI the land of Egypt.af
I heard an unfamiliar language:
6 “I relieved his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were freed from carrying the basket.ag
7 You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud.ah
I tested you at the Waters of Meribah.ai
Selah
8 Listen, my people, and I will admonish you.
Israel, if you would only listen to me!aj
9 There must not be a strange god among you;
you must not bow down to a foreign god.ak
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.al
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.am
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel did not obey me.a
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.b
13 If only my people would listen to me
and Israel would follow my ways,c
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.”d
would cower to him;e
their doom would last forever.f
16 But he would feed IsraelA with the best wheat.
“I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”g