Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me

To the choirmaster: according to (A)The Gittith.[a] Of (B)Asaph.

81 (C)Sing aloud to God our strength;
    (D)shout for joy to the God of Jacob!
Raise a song; sound (E)the tambourine,
    (F)the sweet lyre with (G)the harp.
Blow the trumpet at (H)the new moon,
    at the full moon, on our feast day.

For it is a statute for Israel,
    a rule[b] of the God of Jacob.
He made it (I)a decree in (J)Joseph
    when he (K)went out over[c] the land of Egypt.
(L)I hear a language (M)I had not known:
“I (N)relieved your[d] shoulder of (O)the burden;
    your hands were freed from the basket.
In distress you (P)called, and I delivered you;
    I (Q)answered you in the secret place of thunder;
    I (R)tested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
(S)Hear, O my people, while I admonish you!
    O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
There shall be no (T)strange god among you;
    you shall not bow down to a (U)foreign god.
10 (V)I am the Lord your God,
    who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
    (W)Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.

11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
    Israel (X)would not submit to me.
12 So I (Y)gave them over to their (Z)stubborn hearts,
    to follow their own (AA)counsels.
13 (AB)Oh, that my people would listen to me,
    that Israel would (AC)walk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
    and (AD)turn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would (AE)cringe toward him,
    and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you[e] with (AF)the finest of the wheat,
    and with (AG)honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

Rescue the Weak and Needy

A Psalm of (AH)Asaph.

82 (AI)God (AJ)has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of (AK)the gods he (AL)holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
    and (AM)show partiality to (AN)the wicked? Selah
(AO)Give justice to (AP)the weak and the fatherless;
    (AQ)maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
(AR)Rescue the weak and the needy;
    (AS)deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”

(AT)They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
    (AU)they walk about in darkness;
    (AV)all the foundations of the earth are (AW)shaken.

(AX)I said, “You are gods,
    sons of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, like men (AY)you shall die,
    and fall like any prince.”[f]

(AZ)Arise, O God, judge the earth;
    for you shall (BA)inherit all the nations!

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 81:1 Probably a musical or liturgical term
  2. Psalm 81:4 Or just decree
  3. Psalm 81:5 Or against
  4. Psalm 81:6 Hebrew his; also next line
  5. Psalm 81:16 That is, Israel; Hebrew him
  6. Psalm 82:7 Or fall as one man, O princes

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