Psalm 81 Holman Christian Standard Bible

Psalm 81

A Call to Obedience

For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.^(A)

¹Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.^(B)
²Lift up a song—play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp.^(C)
³Blow the horn on the day of our feasts^[a]^[b]
during the new moon^(D)
and during the full moon.
⁴For this is a statute for Israel,
a judgment of the God of Jacob.^(E)
⁵He set it up as an ordinance for Joseph
when He went throughout^[c] the land of Egypt.^(F)

I heard an unfamiliar language:
⁶“I relieved his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were freed from carrying the basket.^(G)
⁷You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud.^(H)
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.^(I)Selah
⁸Listen, My people, and I will admonish you.
Israel, if you would only listen to Me!^(J)
⁹There must not be a strange god among you;
you must not bow down to a foreign god.^(K)
¹⁰I am Yahweh your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.^(L)
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.^(M)

¹¹“But My people did not listen to Me;
Israel did not obey Me.^(N)
¹²So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.^(O)
¹³If only My people would listen to Me
and Israel would follow My ways,^(P)
¹⁴I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes.”^(Q)
¹⁵Those who hate the Lord
would pretend submission to Him;^(R)
their doom would last forever.^(S)
¹⁶But He would feed Israel^[d] with the best wheat.
“I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”^(T)