Psalm 81
For the Chief Musician. On an instrument of Gath. By Asaph.
1 Sing aloud
to God, our strength!
Make a joyful shout to
the God of Jacob!
2 Raise
a song, and bring here
the tambourine,
the pleasant lyre with
the harp.
3 Blow
the trumpet at
the New Moon,
at the full moon,
on our feast day.
4 For
it is a statute
for Israel,
an ordinance of
the God of Jacob.
5 He
appointed it
in Joseph for
a covenant,
when he went out
over the land of Egypt,
I heard a language
that I didn’t know.
6 “I
removed his shoulder
from the burden.
His hands were freed
from the basket.
7 You called
in trouble, and I
delivered you.
I answered you in
the secret place of thunder.
I tested you at
the waters of Meribah.”
Selah.
8 “Hear,
my people, and I
will testify to
you,
Israel, if you would listen to
me!
9 There shall
be no strange god
in you,
neither shall you
worship any foreign god.
10 I
am the LORD,
your God,
who brought you
up out of
the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth wide, and
I will fill it.
11 But
my people didn’t listen to
my voice.
Israel desired none of me.
12 So
I let them
go after the stubbornness
of their hearts,
that they
might walk in
their own counsels.
13 Oh that
my people would listen
to me,
that Israel would walk
in my ways!
14 I
would soon subdue their enemies,
and turn my hand
against their adversaries.
15 The haters
of the LORD
would cringe before
him,
and their
punishment would last forever.
16 But
he would have
also fed them with
the finest of
the wheat.
I will satisfy
you with honey out
of the rock.”