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Oh That My People Would Listen to Me

For the choir director. According to the Gittith. Of Asaph.

81 (A)Sing for joy to God our (B)strength;
Make a loud (C)shout to the (D)God of Jacob.
Lift up a song of praise, strike (E)the tambourine,
The sweet sounding (F)lyre with the (G)harp.
Blow the trumpet at the (H)new moon,
At the full moon, on our (I)feast day.
For it is a statute for Israel,
(J)A judgment of the God of Jacob.
He established it for a testimony in Joseph
When he (K)went forth over the land of Egypt.
I heard a (L)language that I did not know:

“I [a](M)relieved his shoulder of the burden,
His hands were freed from the [b]basket.
You (N)called in distress and I rescued you;
I (O)answered you in the hiding place of thunder;
I tested you at the (P)waters of Meribah. [c]Selah.
(Q)Hear, O My people, and I will testify against you;
O Israel, if you (R)would listen to Me!
Let there be no (S)strange god among you;
And you shall not worship a foreign god.
10 (T)I am Yahweh your God,
Who brought you up from the land of Egypt;
(U)Open your mouth wide and I will (V)fill it.

11 “But My people (W)did not listen to My voice,
And Israel was not willing to obey Me.
12 So I (X)released [d]them over to the stubbornness of their heart,
That they would walk in their own devices.
13 Oh that My people (Y)would listen to Me,
That Israel would (Z)walk in My ways!
14 I would quickly (AA)subdue their enemies
And I would (AB)turn My hand against their adversaries.
15 (AC)Those who hate Yahweh would (AD)cower before Him,
And their time of punishment would be forever.
16 [e]But I would feed you with the [f](AE)finest of the wheat,
And with (AF)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:6 Lit removed his shoulder from
  2. Psalm 81:6 Or brick load
  3. Psalm 81:7 Selah may mean Pause, Crescendo, Musical Interlude
  4. Psalm 81:12 Lit him
  5. Psalm 81:16 Lit He would feed him
  6. Psalm 81:16 Lit fat

Psalm 81

A Call to Obedience

For the choir director: on the Gittith. Of Asaph.(A)

Sing for joy to God our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.(B)
Lift up a song—play the tambourine,
the melodious lyre, and the harp.(C)
Blow the horn on the day of our feasts[a][b]
during the new moon(D)
and during the full moon.
For this is a statute for Israel,
a judgment of the God of Jacob.(E)
He set it up as an ordinance for Joseph
when He went throughout[c] the land of Egypt.(F)

I heard an unfamiliar language:
“I relieved his shoulder from the burden;
his hands were freed from carrying the basket.(G)
You called out in distress, and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud.(H)
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.(I)Selah
Listen, My people, and I will admonish you.
Israel, if you would only listen to Me!(J)
There must not be a strange god among you;
you must not bow down to a foreign god.(K)
10 I am Yahweh your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.(L)
Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.(M)

11 “But My people did not listen to Me;
Israel did not obey Me.(N)
12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts
to follow their own plans.(O)
13 If only My people would listen to Me
and Israel would follow My ways,(P)
14 I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn My hand against their foes.”(Q)
15 Those who hate the Lord
would pretend submission to Him;(R)
their doom would last forever.(S)
16 But He would feed Israel[d] with the best wheat.
“I would satisfy you with honey from the rock.”(T)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:3 Lit feast
  2. Psalm 81:3 Either Passover or Tabernacles
  3. Psalm 81:5 LXX, Syr, Jer read out of
  4. Psalm 81:16 Lit him