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A Song for a Festival[a]

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

I hear an unknown voice saying,
“I took the burdens off your backs;
    I let you put down your loads of bricks.
(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.
Listen, my people, to my warning;
    Israel, how I wish you would listen to me!
(C)You must never worship another god.
10 I 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.
12 So I let them go their stubborn ways
    and do whatever they wanted.
13 How I wish my people would listen to me;
    how I wish they would obey me!
14 I would quickly defeat their enemies
    and conquer all their foes.
15 Those who hate me would bow in fear before me;
    their punishment would last forever.
16 But I would feed you with the finest wheat
    and satisfy you with wild honey.”

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:1 HEBREW TITLE: By Asaph.

81 (0) For the Leader. On the gittit. By Asaf:

(1) Sing for joy to God our strength!
Shout to the God of Ya‘akov!
(2) Start the music! Beat the drum!
Play the sweet lyre and the lute!
(3) Sound the shofar at Rosh-Hodesh
and at full moon for the pilgrim feast,
(4) because this is a law for Isra’el,
a ruling of the God of Ya‘akov.
(5) He placed it as a testimony in Y’hosef
when he went out against the land of Egypt.

I heard an unfamiliar voice say,
(6) “I lifted the load from his shoulder;
his hands were freed from the [laborer’s] basket.
(7) You called out when you were in trouble,
and I rescued you;
I answered you from the thundercloud;
I tested you at the M’rivah Spring [by saying,] (Selah)

(8) “‘Hear, my people, while I give you warning!
Isra’el, if you would only listen to me!
10 (9) There is not to be with you any foreign god;
you are not to worship an alien god.
11 (10) I am Adonai your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will fill it.’

12 (11) “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Isra’el would have none of me.
13 (12) So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts,
to live by their own plans.
14 (13) How I wish my people would listen to me,
that Isra’el would live by my ways!
15 (14) I would quickly subdue their enemies
and turn my hand against their foes.
16 (15) Those who hate Adonai would cringe before him,
while [Isra’el’s] time would last forever.
17 (16) They would be fed with the finest wheat,
and I would satisfy you with honey from the rocks.”

81 1-5 A song to our strong God!
    a shout to the God of Jacob!
Anthems from the choir, music from the band,
    sweet sounds from lute and harp,
Trumpets and trombones and horns:
    it’s festival day, a feast to God!
A day decreed by God,
    solemnly ordered by the God of Jacob.
He commanded Joseph to keep this day
    so we’d never forget what he did in Egypt.

    I hear this most gentle whisper from One
    I never guessed would speak to me:

6-7 “I took the world off your shoulders,
    freed you from a life of hard labor.
You called to me in your pain;
    I got you out of a bad place.
I answered you from where the thunder hides,
    I proved you at Meribah Fountain.

8-10 “Listen, dear ones—get this straight;
    O Israel, don’t take this lightly.
Don’t take up with strange gods,
    don’t worship the popular gods.
I’m God, your God, the very God
    who rescued you from doom in Egypt,
Then fed you all you could eat,
    filled your hungry stomachs.

11-12 “But my people didn’t listen,
    Israel paid no attention;
So I let go of the reins and told them, ‘Run!
    Do it your own way!’

13-16 “Oh, dear people, will you listen to me now?
    Israel, will you follow my map?
I’ll make short work of your enemies,
    give your foes the back of my hand.
I’ll send the God-haters cringing like dogs,
    never to be heard from again.
You’ll feast on my fresh-baked bread
    spread with butter and rock-pure honey.”