A Call to Obedience

¹Sing for joy to God our strength;

shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.

²Lift up a song #– #play the tambourine,

the melodious lyre, and the harp.

³Blow the ram’s horn on the day of our feasts[#81:3 Lit feast]

during the new moon

and during the full moon.

⁴For this is a statute for Israel,

an ordinance of the God of Jacob.

⁵He set it up as a decree for Joseph

when he went throughout the land of Egypt.

I heard an unfamiliar language:

⁶‘I relieved his shoulder from the burden;

his hands were freed from carrying the basket.

⁷You called out in distress, and I rescued you;

I answered you from the thundercloud.

I tested you at the Waters of Meribah. Selah

⁸Listen, my people, and I will admonish you.

Israel, if you would only listen to me!

⁹There must not be a strange god among you;

you must not bow down to a foreign god.

¹⁰I am the Lord your God,

who brought you up from the land of Egypt.

Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹‘But my people did not listen to my voice;

Israel did not obey me.

¹²So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts

to follow their own plans.

¹³If only my people would listen to me

and Israel would follow my ways,

¹⁴I would quickly subdue their enemies

and turn my hand against their foes.’

¹⁵Those who hate the Lord

would cower to him;

their doom would last for ever.

¹⁶But he would feed Israel with the best wheat.[#81:16 Lit him]

‘I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.’