Psalm 81
An Admonition to Fidelity
1 For the leader; “upon the gittith.” Of Asaph.
I
2 Sing joyfully to God our strength;(A)
raise loud shouts to the God of Jacob!
3 Take up a melody, sound the timbrel,
the pleasant lyre with a harp.
4 Blow the shofar at the new moon,
at the full moon, on our solemn feast.(B)
5 For this is a law for Israel,
an edict of the God of Jacob,(C)
6 He made it a decree for Joseph
when he came out of the land of Egypt.
II
7 I heard a tongue I did not know:
“I removed his shoulder from the burden;
his hands moved away from the basket.(D)
8 In distress you called and I rescued you;
I answered you in secret with thunder;
At the waters of Meribah I tested you:(E) 9 ‘Listen, my people, I will testify against you
Selah
If only you will listen to me, Israel!(F)
10 There shall be no foreign god among you;(G)
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
11 ‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.’
12 But my people did not listen to my words;
Israel would not submit to me.
13 So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart;
‘Let them walk in their own machinations.’(H)
14 O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways,(I)
15 In a moment I would humble their foes,
and turn back my hand against their oppressors.(J)
16 Those who hate the Lord will try flattering him,
but their fate is fixed forever.
17 But Israel I will feed with the finest wheat,
I will satisfy them with honey from the rock.”(K)
Footnotes
- Psalm 81
- 81:1
- 81:4
- 81:7
- 81:7
- 81:8
- 81:10
Cross references
- 81:2 : Ps 43:4; 68:26; 149:3; 150:3–4; Jdt 16:1.
- 81:4 : Lv 23:24; Nm 29:1.
- 81:5 : Ex 23:14ff.
- 81:7 : Ex 1:14; 6:6.
- 81:8 : Ps 95:8; Ex 2:23ff; 17:7; 19:16; Nm 20:13; 27:14.
- 81:9 : Ex 1:14; 6:6.
- 81:10–11 : Ex 20:2–6; Dt 5:6–10.
- 81:13 : Jer 3:17; 7:24.
- 81:14 : Is 48:18.
- 81:15 : Lv 26:7–8.
- 81:17 : Ps 147:14; Dt 32:13–14.
