Old/New Testament
God’s Goodness and Israel’s Waywardness.
For the music director; [a]on the Gittith. A Psalm of Asaph.
81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Shout (C)joyfully to the (D)God of Jacob.
2 Raise a song, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
An ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5 He established it as a testimony in Joseph
When he [b](J)went throughout the land of Egypt.
I heard a (K)language I did not know:
6 “I [c](L)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [d]basket.
7 You (M)called in trouble and I rescued you;
I (N)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I put you to the test at the (O)waters of Meribah. Selah
8 (P)Hear, My people, and I will admonish you;
Israel, if you (Q)would listen to Me!
9 There shall be no (R)strange god among you;
Nor shall you worship a foreign god.
10 (S)I, the Lord, am your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(T)Open your mouth wide and I will (U)fill it.
11 “But My people (V)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel did not [e]obey Me.
12 So I (W)gave [f]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
To walk by their own plans.
13 Oh that My people (X)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Y)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (Z)subdue their enemies
And (AA)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AB)Those who hate the Lord would (AC)pretend to obey Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [g]But I would feed you with the [h](AD)finest of the wheat,
And with (AE)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”
Unjust Judgments Rebuked.
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God takes His (AF)position in [i]His assembly;
He (AG)judges in the midst of the (AH)gods.
2 How long will you (AI)judge unjustly
And (AJ)show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 (AK)Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
4 (AL)Rescue the weak and needy;
Save them from the hand of the wicked.
5 They (AM)do not know nor do they understand;
They (AN)walk around in darkness;
All the (AO)foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 [j]I (AP)said, “You are gods,
And all of you are (AQ)sons of the Most High.
7 Nevertheless (AR)you will die like men,
And fall like (AS)one of the princes.”
8 (AT)Arise, God, (AU)judge the earth!
For You (AV)possess all the nations.
God Implored to Confound His Enemies.
A Song, a Psalm of Asaph.
83 God, (AW)do not remain quiet;
(AX)Do not be silent and, God, do not be still.
2 For behold, Your enemies (AY)make an uproar,
And (AZ)those who hate You have [k](BA)exalted themselves.
3 They (BB)make shrewd plans against Your people,
And [l]conspire together against (BC)Your [m]treasured ones.
4 They have said, “Come, and (BD)let’s wipe them out [n]as a nation,
So that the (BE)name of Israel will no longer be remembered.”
5 For they have [o](BF)conspired together with one mind;
They make a covenant against You:
6 The tents of (BG)Edom and the (BH)Ishmaelites,
(BI)Moab and the (BJ)Hagrites;
7 (BK)Gebal, (BL)Ammon, and (BM)Amalek,
(BN)Philistia with the inhabitants of (BO)Tyre;
8 (BP)Assyria also has joined them;
They have become [p]a help to the (BQ)children of Lot. Selah
9 Deal with them (BR)as with Midian,
As (BS)with Sisera and Jabin at the river of Kishon,
10 Who were destroyed at En-dor,
Who (BT)became like dung for the ground.
11 Make their nobles like (BU)Oreb and Zeeb,
And all their leaders like (BV)Zebah and Zalmunna,
12 Who said, “(BW)Let’s possess for ourselves
The (BX)pastures of God.”
13 My God, make them like the [q](BY)whirling dust,
Like (BZ)chaff before the wind.
14 Like (CA)fire that burns the forest,
And like a flame that (CB)sets the mountains on fire,
15 So pursue them (CC)with Your heavy gale,
And terrify them with Your storm.
16 (CD)Fill their faces with dishonor,
So that they will seek Your name, Lord.
17 May they be (CE)ashamed and dismayed forever,
And may they be humiliated and perish,
18 So that they will (CF)know that (CG)You alone, whose name is the Lord,
Are the (CH)Most High over all the earth.
19 (A)You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you (B)stand by your faith. (C)Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either. 22 See then the kindness and severity of God: to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s (D)kindness, (E)if you continue in His kindness; for otherwise you too (F)will be cut off. 23 And they also, (G)if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in; for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
25 For (H)I do not want you, brothers and sisters, to be uninformed of this (I)mystery—so that you will not be (J)wise in your own estimation—that a partial (K)hardening has happened to Israel until the (L)fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written:
“(M)The Deliverer will come from Zion,
He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”
27 “(N)This is [a]My covenant with them,
(O)When I take away their sins.”
28 In relation to the gospel they are (P)enemies on your account, but in relation to God’s choice they are beloved (Q)on account of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the (R)calling of God (S)are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy. 32 For (T)God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.
33 Oh, the depth of (U)the riches, [b]both of the (V)wisdom and knowledge of God! (W)How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! 34 For (X)who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor? 35 Or (Y)who has first given to Him, [c]that it would be paid back to him? 36 For (Z)from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. (AA)To Him be the glory [d]forever. Amen.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.