Psalm 81

To the chief Musician. Upon the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 Sing ye joyously unto God our strength, shout aloud unto the God of Jacob; 2 Raise a song, and sound the tambour, the pleasant harp with the lute. 3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the set time, on our feast day: 4 For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob; 5 He ordained it in Joseph for a testimony, when he went forth over the land of Egypt, where I heard a language that I knew not. 6 I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the basket. 7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder; I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8  Hear, my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me! 9  There shall no strange •god be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any foreign •god. 10  I am Jehovah thy God, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it. 11  But my people hearkened not to my voice, and Israel would none of me. 12  So I gave them up unto their own hearts’ stubbornness: they walked after their own counsels. 13  Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, that Israel had walked in my ways! 14  I would soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. 15  The haters of Jehovah would have come cringing unto him; but their time would have been for ever. 16  And he would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee.