PSALM 81 [†]  h Sing aloud to God our strength;

 i shout for joy to the God of Jacob!

2 Raise a song; sound  j the tambourine,

 k the sweet lyre with  k the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet at  l the new moon,

at the full moon, on our feast day.

4[†] For it is a statute for Israel,

a rule [2] of the God of Jacob.

5 He made it  m a decree in  n Joseph

when he  o went out over [3] the land of Egypt.

 p I hear a language  q I had not known:

6 “I  r relieved your [4] shoulder of  s the burden;

your hands were freed from the basket.

7 In distress you  t called, and I delivered you;

I  u answered you in the secret place of thunder;

I  v tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah

8[†]  w Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!

O Israel, if you would but listen to me!

9 There shall be no  x strange god among you;

you shall not bow down to a  y foreign god.

10  z I am the LORD your God,

who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

 a Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11[†] “But my people did not listen to my voice;

Israel  b would not submit to me.

12 So I  c gave them over to their  d stubborn hearts,

to follow their own  e counsels.

13[^]  f Oh, that my people would listen to me,

that Israel would  g walk in my ways!

14 I would soon subdue their enemies

and  h turn my hand against their foes.

15 Those who hate the LORD would  i cringe toward him,

and their fate would last forever.

16 But he would feed you [5] with  j the finest of the wheat,

and with  k honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

A Psalm of  l Asaph.