Psalms 81

God calls Israel to joyful worship, reminding them of His deliverance from Egypt and His longing to bless them. He laments that His people would not listen, and declares that if they had obeyed, He would have subdued their enemies and fed them with the finest wheat and honey from the rock.

v	King James Version	Modern English
1	Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.	Sing for joy to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob!
2	Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.	Begin the music, strike the timbrel, play the melodious harp and lyre.
3	Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.	Sound the ram's horn at the New Moon, and when the moon is full, on the day of our festival;
4	For this was a statute for Israel, and a law of the God of Jacob.	this is a decree for Israel, an ordinance of the God of Jacob.
5	This he ordained in Joseph for a testimony, when he went out through the land of Egypt: where I heard a language that I understood not.	When God went out against Egypt, He established it as a statute for Joseph. I heard an unknown voice say:
6	I removed his shoulder from the burden: his hands were delivered from the pots.	"I removed the burden from their shoulders; their hands were set free from the basket.
7	Thou calledst in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered thee in the secret place of thunder: I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah.	In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud; I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
8	Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;	Hear me, my people. I will warn you — if you would only listen to me, Israel!
9	There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.	You shall have no foreign god among you; you shall not worship any god other than me.
10	I am the LORD thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.	I am the LORD Your God, Who brought You up out of Egypt. Open wide Your mouth and I will fill it.
11	But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.	But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me.
12	So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.	So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.
13	Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!	If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways,
14	I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.	how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!
15	The haters of the LORD should have submitted themselves unto him: but their time should have endured for ever.	Those who hate the LORD would cringe before Him. Their punishment would last forever.
16	He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.	But You would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy You."