Psalms 81

God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.

For the music director; ▼

▼Or according to

on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.

1 ^bSing for joy to God our ^cstrength;
Shout ^djoyfully to the ^eGod of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike ^fthe tambourine,
The sweet sounding ^glyre with the ^hharp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the ⁱnew moon,
At the full moon, on our ^jfeast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he ▼

▼Lit went out over

, ^lwent throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a ^mlanguage I did not know:

6 “I ▼

▼Lit removed his shoulder from

, ^orelieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the ▼

▼Or brick load

basket.
7 “You ^qcalled in trouble and I rescued you;
I ^ranswered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the ^swaters of Meribah. Selah
8 “ ^tHear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you ^uwould listen to Me!
9 “There shall be no ^vstrange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 “ ^wI, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
^xOpen your mouth wide and I will ^yfill it.

11 “But My people ^zdid not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not ▼

▼Lit yield to

obey Me.
12 “So I ^abgave ▼

▼Lit him

them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 “Oh that My people ^adwould listen to Me,
That Israel would ^aewalk in My ways!
14 “I would quickly ^afsubdue their enemies
And ^agturn My hand against their adversaries.
15 “ ^ahThose who hate the Lord would ^aipretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 “ ▼

▼Lit He would feed him

But I would feed you with the ▼

▼Lit fat

, ^alfinest of the wheat,
And with ^amhoney from the rock I would satisfy you.”