Psalms 81

Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

To the choirmaster: according to ^aThe Gittith. ▼

▼Probably a musical or liturgical term

Of ^cAsaph.

1 ^dSing aloud to God our strength;
^eshout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2Raise a song; sound ^fthe tambourine,
^gthe sweet lyre with ^hthe harp.
3Blow the trumpet at ⁱthe new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule ▼

▼Or just decree

of the God of Jacob.
5He made it ^ka decree in ^lJoseph
when he ^mwent out over ▼

▼Or against

the land of Egypt.
^oI hear a language ^pI had not known:
6“I ^qrelieved your ▼

▼Hebrew his; also next line

shoulder of ^sthe burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7In distress you ^tcalled, and I delivered you;
I ^uanswered you in the secret place of thunder;
I ^vtested you at the waters of Meribah.  Selah
8 ^wHear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9There shall be no ^xstrange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a ^yforeign god.
10 ^zI am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
^aaOpen your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel ^abwould not submit to me.
12So I ^acgave them over to their ^adstubborn hearts,
to follow their own ^aecounsels.
13 ^afOh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would ^agwalk in my ways!
14I would soon subdue their enemies
and ^ahturn my hand against their foes.
15Those who hate the Lord would ^aicringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16But he would feed you ▼

▼That is, Israel; Hebrew him

with ^akthe finest of the wheat,
and with ^alhoney from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Psalms 84

My Soul Longs for the Courts of the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to ^amThe Gittith. ▼

▼Probably a musical or liturgical term

A Psalm of ^aothe Sons of Korah.

1 How ^aplovely is your ^aqdwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
2My soul ^arlongs, yes, ^asfaints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to ^atthe living God.
3 Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
^aumy King and my God.
4 ^avBlessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever ^awsinging your praise!  Selah
5 Blessed are those whose strength is in you,
^axin whose heart are the highways to Zion. ▼

▼Hebrew lacks  to Zion

6As they go through the Valley of Baca
they make it a place of springs;
^azthe early rain also covers it with ^bapools.
7They go ^bbfrom strength to strength;
each one ^bcappears before God in Zion.
8 O ^bdLord God of hosts, hear my prayer;
give ear, O God of Jacob!  Selah
9 ^beBehold our ^bfshield, O God;
look on the face of your anointed!
10 For a day ^bgin your courts is better
than a thousand elsewhere.
I would rather be ^bha doorkeeper in the house of my God
than dwell in the tents of wickedness.
11For the Lord God is ^bia sun and ^bjshield;
the Lord bestows favor and honor.
^bkNo good thing does he withhold
from those who ^blwalk uprightly.
12O Lord of hosts,
^bmblessed is the one who trusts in you!