The Book of Psalms
Psalms 81
For the choirmaster. According to Gittith. Of Asaph.
Sing for Joy to God Our Strength
1 Sing for joy to God our strength;make a joyful noise to the God of Jacob.Gittith is probably a musical or liturgical term; here and in Psalms 8 and 84.
Lift up a song, strike the tambourine,play the sweet-sounding harp and lyre.
Sound the ram’s horn at the New Moon,and at the full moon on the day of our Feast.
For this is a statute for Israel,an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
He ordained it as a testimony for Josephwhen he went out over the land of Egypt,where I heard an unfamiliar language:Or in Joseph
“ I relieved his shoulder of the burden;his hands were freed from the basket.
You called out in distress, and I rescued you;I answered you from the cloud of thunder;I tested you at the waters of Meribah.SelahMeribah means quarreling; see Exodus 17:7.
Hear, O My people, and I will warn you:O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
There must be no strange god among you,nor shall you bow to a foreign god.
I am the LORD your God,who brought you up out of Egypt.Open wide your mouth,and I will fill it.
But My people would not listen to Me,and Israel would not obey Me.
So I gave them up to their stubborn heartsto follow their own devices.
If only My people would listen to Me,if Israel would follow My ways,
how soon I would subdue their enemiesand turn My hand against their foes!
Those who hate the LORD would feign obedience,and their doom would last forever.
But I would feed you the finest wheat;with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”