Psalms 81
Intro: An exhortation to praise God -- God exhorteth to obedience. (To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of Asaph.)

1 Sing aloud unto God our strength; make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

2 Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery.

3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon, in the time appointed, on our solemn feast day.

4 For this was a statute for Israel, and a law 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.

6 I removed his shoulder from the burden; his hands were delivered from the pots.

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 Merribah. Selah.

8 Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;

9 There shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god.

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.

11 But my people would not hearken to my voice; and Israel would none of me.

12 So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust; and they walked in their own counsels.

13 Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways!

14 I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries.

15 The haters of the Lord should have submitted themselves unto him; but their time should have endured 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.

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