Psalms 81
1EXULT with joy for God our helper! Shout triumphantly for the God of Jacob!
2Take a psalm and bring a tympanum—the sweet sounding psaltery with a kithara.
3Sound the trumpet at the new moon—at the set day of your festival.
4For it is a statute for Israel—a rite established by the God of Jacob—
5as a testimony for Joseph; it pointed him out at the time of his coming out of the land of Egypt; he caused him to hear a tongue which he knew not:
6he removed his back from burdens. His hands served at the basket.
7In affliction thou didst call upon Me, and I delivered thee. I heard thee in the secret of a tempest. I proved thee at the water of strife.
8Hear O My people and I will speak to thee. O Israel, and I will testify to thee. If thou wilt hearken to Me,
9with thee there must be no new-fangled god: nor shalt thou worship a strange god,
10for I am the Lord thy God; Who brought thee up from the land of Egypt. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.
11But My people did not hearken to My voice; nor did Israel attend to Me.
12Therefore I gave them up to the devices of their own hearts. Let them walk in their own devices.
13Had My people hearkened to Me—had Israel walked in My ways:
14I would have effectually humbled their enemies; and laid My hand on those who afflicted them.
15The enemies of the Lord should have submitted to Him; and their time would have been forever:
16and He would have fed them with the finest wheat; and satisfied them with honey from a rock.