Psalm 81-83

English Standard Version

Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

To the choirmaster: according to ^(A)The Gittith.^[a] Of ^(B)Asaph.

81 ^(C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
    ^(D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
²Raise a song; sound ^(E)the tambourine,
    ^(F)the sweet lyre with ^(G)the harp.
³Blow the trumpet at ^(H)the new moon,
    at the full moon, on our feast day.

⁴For it is a statute for Israel,
    a rule^[b] of the God of Jacob.
⁵He made it ^(I)a decree in ^(J)Joseph
    when he ^(K)went out over^[c] the land of Egypt.
^(L)I hear a language ^(M)I had not known:
⁶“I ^(N)relieved your^[d] shoulder of ^(O)the burden;
    your hands were freed from the basket.
⁷In distress you ^(P)called, and I delivered you;
    I ^(Q)answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I ^(R)tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
⁸^(S)Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
⁹There shall be no ^(T)strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a ^(U)foreign god.
¹⁰^(V)I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    ^(W)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

¹¹“But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel ^(X)would not submit to me.
¹²So I ^(Y)gave them over to their ^(Z)stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own ^(AA)counsels.
¹³^(AB)Oh, that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would ^(AC)walk in my ways!
¹⁴I would soon subdue their enemies
    and ^(AD)turn my hand against their foes.
¹⁵Those who hate the Lord would ^(AE)cringe toward him,
    and their fate would last forever.
¹⁶But he would feed you^[e] with ^(AF)the finest of the wheat,
    and with ^(AG)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Rescue the Weak and Needy

A Psalm of ^(AH)Asaph.

82 ^(AI)God ^(AJ)has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of ^(AK)the gods he ^(AL)holds judgment:
²“How long will you judge unjustly
    and ^(AM)show partiality to ^(AN)the wicked? Selah
³^(AO)Give justice to ^(AP)the weak and the fatherless;
    ^(AQ)maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
⁴^(AR)Rescue the weak and the needy;
    ^(AS)deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

⁵^(AT)They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
^(AU)they walk about in darkness;
^(AV)all the foundations of the earth are ^(AW)shaken.

⁶^(AX)I said, “You are gods,
sons of the Most High, all of you;
⁷nevertheless, like men ^(AY)you shall die,
and fall like any prince.”^[f]

⁸^(AZ)Arise, O God, judge the earth;
for you shall ^(BA)inherit all the nations!

O God, Do Not Keep Silence

A Song. A Psalm of ^(BB)Asaph.

83 O God, do not keep silence;
    ^(BC)do not hold your peace or be still, O God!
²For behold, your enemies ^(BD)make an uproar;
    those who hate you have ^(BE)raised their heads.
³They lay ^(BF)crafty plans against your people;
    they consult together against your ^(BG)treasured ones.
⁴They say, “Come, ^(BH)let us wipe them out as a nation;
    let the name of Israel be remembered no more!”
⁵For they conspire with one accord;
    against you they make a covenant—
⁶the tents of ^(BI)Edom and ^(BJ)the Ishmaelites,
    ^(BK)Moab and ^(BL)the Hagrites,
⁷^(BM)Gebal and ^(BN)Ammon and ^(BO)Amalek,
    ^(BP)Philistia with the inhabitants of ^(BQ)Tyre;
⁸^(BR)Asshur also has joined them;
    they are the strong arm of ^(BS)the children of Lot. Selah

⁹Do to them as you did to ^(BT)Midian,
    as to ^(BU)Sisera and Jabin at ^(BV)the river Kishon,
¹⁰who were destroyed at ^(BW)En-dor,
    who became ^(BX)dung for the ground.
¹¹Make their nobles like ^(BY)Oreb and Zeeb,
    all their princes like ^(BZ)Zebah and Zalmunna,
¹²who said, ^(CA)“Let us take possession for ourselves
    of the pastures of God.”

¹³O my God, make them like ^(CB)whirling dust,^[g]
    like ^(CC)chaff before the wind.
¹⁴As ^(CD)fire consumes the forest,
    as the flame ^(CE)sets the mountains ablaze,
¹⁵so may you pursue them ^(CF)with your tempest
    and terrify them with your hurricane!
¹⁶^(CG)Fill their faces with shame,
    that they may seek your name, O Lord.
¹⁷Let them be ^(CH)put to shame and dismayed forever;
    let them perish in disgrace,
¹⁸that they may ^(CI)know that you alone,
    ^(CJ)whose name is the Lord,
    are ^(CK)the Most High over all the earth.