Psalms 81

An Appeal from God to Israel

¹Shout out to God our strength;

shout joyfully to the God of Jacob.

²Lift up a song and strike the tambourine,[#Hebrew “give”]

the pleasant lyre, together with the harp.

³Blow the horn at new moon,

at full moon, for our feast day,

⁴because it is a statute for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He made it a statute in Joseph[#Hebrew “testimony” or “witness”]

when he went out against the land of Egypt,

where I heard a language I did not know.

⁶“I removed his shoulder from a burden.

His hands were freed from the basket.

⁷In this trouble you called, and I rescued you.[#Hebrew “the”]

Within the secret place of thunder I answered you;

I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

⁸Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you;

O Israel, if you would but listen to me.

⁹There shall be no strange god among you,

and you shall not bow down to a foreign god.

¹⁰I am Yahweh your God,

who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

¹¹But my people did not listen to my voice,

and Israel did not yield to me.

¹²So I let them go in the stubbornness of their heart;[#Hebrew “him”]

they walked in their counsels.

¹³Oh that my people would listen to me;

that Israel would walk in my ways.

¹⁴I would subdue their enemies quickly,

and turn my hand against their adversaries.

¹⁵Those who hate Yahweh would cringe before him,

and their fate would be forever.

¹⁶But he would feed him from the choicest wheat,[#That is, Israel; #Hebrew “the fat of wheat”]

and I would satisfy you with honey from a rock.”