Psalm 81

Good News Translation

A Song for a Festival^[a]

81 Shout for joy to God our defender;
    sing praise to the God of Jacob!
²Start the music and beat the tambourines;
    play pleasant music on the harps and the lyres.
³^(A)Blow the trumpet for the festival,
    when the moon is new and when the moon is full.
⁴This is the law in Israel,
    an order from the God of Jacob.
⁵He gave it to the people of Israel
    when he attacked the land of Egypt.

I hear an unknown voice saying,
⁶“I took the burdens off your backs;
    I let you put down your loads of bricks.
⁷^(B)When you were in trouble, you called to me, and I saved you.
    From my hiding place in the storm, I answered you.
    I put you to the test at the springs of Meribah.
⁸Listen, my people, to my warning;
    Israel, how I wish you would listen to me!
⁹^(C)You must never worship another god.
¹⁰I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will feed you.

¹¹“But my people would not listen to me;
    Israel would not obey me.
¹²So I let them go their stubborn ways
    and do whatever they wanted.
¹³How I wish my people would listen to me;
    how I wish they would obey me!
¹⁴I would quickly defeat their enemies
    and conquer all their foes.
¹⁵Those who hate me would bow in fear before me;
    their punishment would last forever.
¹⁶But I would feed you with the finest wheat
    and satisfy you with wild honey.”