Psalm 81 (80)
Sing joyfully to God, our strength;
shout in triumph to the God of Jacob.
Begin the music and sound the tambourine,
the melodious lyre and the harp.
Blow the trumpet at the new moon
and at the full moon for our feast.
For this is a statute for Israel,
a command of the God of Jacob,
a decree he established for Joseph
when he came out of the land of Egypt.
I hear a voice I did not know:
"I removed the burden from their shoulders,
and their hands were freed from the basket.
You called in your distress, and I rescued you.
I answered you from the hidden place of thunder
and tested you beside the waters of Meribah.
Listen, my people, as I warn you.
If only you would listen to me, Israel!
You must have no foreign god
and must not bow before an alien god.
I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will fill it."
But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel would not obey me.
So I let them follow their stubborn hearts
and walk according to their own plans.
If only my people would listen to me,
and Israel would walk in my ways!
I would quickly humble their enemies
and turn my hand against their adversaries.
Those who hate the Lord would bow before him,
and their defeat would endure.
But I would feed my people with the finest wheat
and satisfy them with honey from the rock.