Psalms 81

1 Make a song to God our strength: make a glad cry to the God of Jacob.

1A psalm for Asaph. God hath stood in the congregation of gods: and being in the midst of them he judgeth gods.

1 Sing ye joyously untoGod our strength, shout aloud unto theGod of Jacob;

2Take up the melody, playing on an instrument of music, even on corded instruments.

2How long will you judge unjustly: and accept the persons of the wicked?

2 Raise a song, and sound the tambour, the pleasant harp with the lute.

3Let the horn be sounded in the time of the new moon, at the full moon, on our holy feast-day:

3Judge for the needy and fatherless: do justice to the humble and the poor.

3 Blow the trumpet at the new moon, at the set time, on our feast day:

4For this is a rule for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.

4Rescue the poor; and deliver the needy out of the hand of the sinner.

4 For this is a statute for Israel, an ordinance of theGod of Jacob;

5He gave it to Joseph as a witness, when he went out over the land of Egypt; then the words of a strange tongue were sounding in my ears.

5They have not known nor understood: they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth shall be moved.

5 He ordained it in Joseph [for] a testimony, when he went forth over the land of Egypt, [where] I heard a language that I knew not.

6I took the weight from his back; his hands were made free from the baskets.

6I have said: You are gods and all of you the sons of the most High.

6 I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were freed from the basket.

7You gave a cry in your trouble, and I made you free; I gave you an answer in the secret place of the thunder; I put you to the test at the waters of Meribah. (Selah.)

7But you like men shall die: and shall fall like one of the princes.

7 Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder; I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

8Give ear, O my people, and I will give you my word, O Israel, if you will only do as I say!

8Arise, O God, judge thou the earth: for thou shalt inherit among all the nations.

8 Hear, my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!

9There is to be no strange god among you; you are not to give worship to any other god.

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9 There shall no strangegod be in thee, neither shalt thou worship any foreigngod.

10I am the Lord your God, who took you up from the land of Egypt: let your mouth be open wide, so that I may give you food.

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10 I am Jehovah thyGod, that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11But my people did not give ear to my voice; Israel would have nothing to do with me.

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11 But my people hearkened not to my voice, and Israel would none of me.

12So I gave them up to the desires of their hearts; that they might go after their evil purposes.

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12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' stubbornness: they walked after their own counsels.

13If only my people would give ear to me, walking in my ways!

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13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, that Israel had walked in my ways!

14I would quickly overcome their haters: my hand would be turned against those who make war on them.

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14 I would soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

15The haters of the Lord would be broken, and their destruction would be eternal.

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15 The haters of Jehovah would have come cringing unto him; but their time would have been for ever.

16I would give them the best grain for food; you would be full of honey from the rock.

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16 And he would have fed them with the finest of wheat; yea, with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied thee.