Psalm 81–83

Psalm 81^a

For the director of music. According to gittith.^b Of Asaph.

¹Sing for joy to God our strength;

shout aloud to the God of Jacob!^p

²Begin the music, strike the timbrel,^q

play the melodious harp^r and lyre.^s

³Sound the ram’s horn^t at the New Moon,^u

and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;

⁴this is a decree for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.^v

⁵When God went out against Egypt,^w

he established it as a statute for Joseph.

I heard an unknown voice say:^x

⁶“I removed the burden^y from their shoulders;^z

their hands were set free from the basket.

⁷In your distress you called^a and I rescued you,

I answered^b you out of a thundercloud;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah.^cc

⁸Hear me, my people,^d and I will warn you—

if you would only listen to me, Israel!

⁹You shall have no foreign god^e among you;

you shall not worship any god other than me.

¹⁰I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up out of Egypt.^f

Open^g wide your mouth and I will fill^h it.

¹¹“But my people would not listen to me;

Israel would not submit to me.ⁱ

¹²So I gave them over^j to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own devices.

¹³“If my people would only listen to me,^k

if Israel would only follow my ways,

¹⁴how quickly I would subdue^l their enemies

and turn my hand against^m their foes!

¹⁵Those who hate the Lord would cringeⁿ before him,

and their punishment would last forever.

¹⁶But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;^o

with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalm 82

A psalm of Asaph.

¹God presides in the great assembly;

he renders judgment^p among the “gods”:^q

²“How long will you^a defend the unjust

and show partiality^r to the wicked?^bs

³Defend the weak and the fatherless;^t

uphold the cause of the poor^u and the oppressed.

⁴Rescue the weak and the needy;

deliver them from the hand of the wicked.

⁵“The ‘gods’ know nothing, they understand nothing.^v

They walk about in darkness;^w

all the foundations^x of the earth are shaken.

⁶“I said, ‘You are “gods”;^y

you are all sons of the Most High.’

⁷But you will die^z like mere mortals;

you will fall like every other ruler.”

⁸Rise up,^a O God, judge^b the earth,

for all the nations are your inheritance.^c

Psalm 83^a

A song. A psalm of Asaph.

¹O God, do not remain silent;^d

do not turn a deaf ear,

do not stand aloof, O God.

²See how your enemies growl,^e

how your foes rear their heads.^f

³With cunning they conspire^g against your people;

they plot against those you cherish.^h

⁴“Come,” they say, “let us destroyⁱ them as a nation,^j

so that Israel’s name is remembered^k no more.”

⁵With one mind they plot together;^l

they form an alliance against you—

⁶the tents of Edom^m and the Ishmaelites,

of Moabⁿ and the Hagrites,^o

⁷Byblos,^p Ammon^q and Amalek,^r

Philistia,^s with the people of Tyre.^t

⁸Even Assyria^u has joined them

to reinforce Lot’s descendants.^bv

⁹Do to them as you did to Midian,^w

as you did to Sisera^x and Jabin^y at the river Kishon,^z

¹⁰who perished at Endor^a

and became like dung^b on the ground.

¹¹Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb,^c

all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,^d

¹²who said, “Let us take possession^e

of the pasturelands of God.”

¹³Make them like tumbleweed, my God,

like chaff^f before the wind.

¹⁴As fire consumes the forest

or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,^g

¹⁵so pursue them with your tempest^h

and terrify them with your storm.ⁱ

¹⁶Cover their faces with shame,^j Lord,

so that they will seek your name.

¹⁷May they ever be ashamed and dismayed;^k

may they perish in disgrace.^l

¹⁸Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord^m—

that you alone are the Most Highⁿ over all the earth.^o