Psalm 81
Oh That My People Would Listen to Me
81For the choir director. According to the Gittith. Of Asaph.
aSing for joy to God our bstrength;Make a loud cshout to the dGod of Jacob.2Lift up a song of praise, strike athe tambourine,The sweet sounding blyre with the charp.3Blow the trumpet at the anew moon,At the full moon, on our bfeast day.4For it is a statute for Israel,aA judgment of the God of Jacob.5He established it for a testimony in JosephWhen he awent forth over the land of Egypt.I heard a blanguage that I did not know:6“I 1,arelieved his shoulder of the burden,His hands were freed from the 2basket.7“You acalled in distress and I rescued you;I banswered you in the hiding place of thunder;I tested you at the cwaters of Meribah. 1 Selah.8“aHear, O My people, and I will testify against you;O Israel, if you bwould listen to Me!9“Let there be no astrange god among you;And you shall not worship a foreign god.10“aI am Yahweh your God,Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;bOpen your mouth wide and I will cfill it.11“But My people adid not listen to My voice,And Israel was not willing to obey Me.12“So I areleased 1them over to the stubbornness of their heart,That they would walk in their own devices.13“Oh that My people awould listen to Me,That Israel would bwalk in My ways!14“I would quickly asubdue their enemiesAnd I would bturn My hand against their adversaries.15“aThose who hate Yahweh would bcower before Him,And their time of punishment would be forever.16“1But I would feed you with the 2,afinest of the wheat,And with bhoney from the rock I would satisfy you.”