Psalm 81

New International Version

Psalm 81^[a]

For the director of music. According to gittith.^[b] Of Asaph.

¹Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout aloud to the God of Jacob!^(A)
²Begin the music, strike the timbrel,^(B)
play the melodious harp^(C) and lyre.^(D)

³Sound the ram’s horn^(E) at the New Moon,^(F)
    and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
⁴this is a decree for Israel,
    an ordinance of the God of Jacob.^(G)
⁵When God went out against Egypt,^(H)
    he established it as a statute for Joseph.

I heard an unknown voice say:^(I)

⁶“I removed the burden^(J) from their shoulders;^(K)
    their hands were set free from the basket.
⁷In your distress you called^(L) and I rescued you,
    I answered^(M) you out of a thundercloud;
    I tested you at the waters of Meribah.^[c]^(N)
⁸Hear me, my people,^(O) and I will warn you—
    if you would only listen to me, Israel!
⁹You shall have no foreign god^(P) among you;
    you shall not worship any god other than me.
¹⁰I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of Egypt.^(Q)
Open^(R) wide your mouth and I will fill^(S) it.

¹¹“But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not submit to me.^(T)
¹²So I gave them over^(U) to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own devices.

¹³“If my people would only listen to me,^(V)
    if Israel would only follow my ways,
¹⁴how quickly I would subdue^(W) their enemies
    and turn my hand against^(X) their foes!
¹⁵Those who hate the Lord would cringe^(Y) before him,
    and their punishment would last forever.
¹⁶But you would be fed with the finest of wheat;^(Z)
    with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Footnotes

Psalm 81:1 In Hebrew texts 81:1-16 is numbered 81:2-17.
Psalm 81:1 Title: Probably a musical term
Psalm 81:7 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here.

Mark 15:33-47

New International Version

The Death of Jesus^(A)

³³At noon, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.^(B) ³⁴And at three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^[a]^(C)

³⁵When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.”

³⁶Someone ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar,^(D) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said.

³⁷With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.^(E)

³⁸The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.^(F) ³⁹And when the centurion,^(G) who stood there in front of Jesus, saw how he died,^[b] he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!”^(H)

⁴⁰Some women were watching from a distance.^(I) Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joseph,^[c] and Salome.^(J) ⁴¹In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.^(K)

The Burial of Jesus^(L)

⁴²It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).^(M) So as evening approached, ⁴³Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council,^(N) who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,^(O) went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. ⁴⁴Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵When he learned from the centurion^(P) that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph. ⁴⁶So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.^(Q) ⁴⁷Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph^(R) saw where he was laid.