Psalm 81–83

Psalm 81

For the director of music. For gittith. A psalm of Asaph.

¹Sing joyfully to God! He gives us strength.

Give a loud shout to the God of Jacob!

²Let the music begin. Play the tambourines.

Play sweet music on harps and lyres.

³Blow the ram’s horn on the day of the New Moon Feast.

Blow it again when the moon is full and the Feast of Booths begins.

⁴This is an order given to Israel.

It is a law of the God of Jacob.

⁵He gave it as a covenant law for the people of Joseph

when God went out to punish Egypt.

There we heard a language we didn’t understand.

⁶God said, “I removed the load from your shoulders.

I set your hands free from carrying heavy baskets.

⁷You called out when you were in trouble, and I saved you.

I answered you out of a thundercloud.

I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah. Selah

⁸“My people, listen and I will warn you.

Israel, I wish you would listen to me!

⁹Don’t have anything to do with the gods of other nations.

Don’t bow down and worship strange gods.

¹⁰I am the Lord your God.

I brought you up out of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it with good things.

¹¹“But my people wouldn’t listen to me.

Israel wouldn’t obey me.

¹²So I let them go their own stubborn way.

I let them follow their own sinful plans.

¹³“I wish my people would listen to me!

I wish Israel would live as I want them to live!

¹⁴Then I would quickly bring their enemies under control.

I would use my power against their attackers.

¹⁵Those who hate me would bow down to me in fear.

They would be punished forever.

¹⁶But you would be fed with the finest wheat.

I would satisfy you with the sweetest honey.”

Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

¹God takes his place at the head of a large gathering of rulers and judges.

He announces his decisions among them.

²He says, “How long will you stand up for those who aren’t fair to others?

How long will you show favor to sinful people? Selah

³Stand up for those who are weak and for those whose fathers have died.

See to it that those who are poor and those who are beaten down are treated fairly.

⁴Save the weak and those who are in need.

Save them from the power of sinful people.

⁵“You rulers and judges don’t know anything.

You don’t understand anything.

You are in the dark about what is right.

Law and order have been destroyed all over the world.

⁶“I said, ‘Rulers and judges, you are “gods.”

You are all children of the Most High God.’

⁷But you will die, just like everyone else.

You will die like every other ruler.”

⁸God, rise up. Judge the earth.

All of the nations belong to you.

Psalm 83

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹God, don’t keep silent.

God, don’t keep quiet. Don’t be still.

²See how your enemies are getting ready for action.

See how they are rising up against you.

³They make clever plans against your people.

They make evil plans against those you love.

⁴“Come,” they say. “Let’s destroy that whole nation.

Then the name of Israel won’t be remembered anymore.”

⁵All of them agree on the evil plans they have made.

They join forces against you.

⁶Their forces include the people of Edom,

Ishmael, Moab and Hagar.

⁷They also include the people of Byblos, Ammon, Amalek,

Philistia and Tyre.

⁸Even Assyria has joined them

to give strength to the people of Moab and Ammon. Selah

⁹Do to them what you did to the people of Midian.

Do to them what you did to Sisera and Jabin at the Kishon River.

¹⁰Sisera and Jabin died near the town of Endor.

Their bodies were left to rot on the ground.

¹¹Do to the nobles of your enemies what you did to Oreb and Zeeb.

Do to all of their princes what you did to Zebah and Zalmunna.

¹²They said, “Let’s take over

the grasslands that belong to God.”

¹³My God, make them like straw that the wind blows away.

Make them like tumbleweed.

¹⁴Destroy them as fire burns up a forest.

Destroy them as a flame sets mountains on fire.

¹⁵Chase them with your mighty winds.

Terrify them with your storm.

¹⁶Lord, put them to shame

so that people will worship you.

¹⁷May they always be filled with terror and shame.

May they die in dishonor.

¹⁸Your name is the Lord. Let them know

that you alone are the Most High God over the whole earth.