Psalm 81

SIng unto God our strength and might,
lift up aloud your voice,
Unto the God of Jacob sing,
and make a joyful noise.
Take up unto you now a psalm,
the timbrels hither bring,
The pleasant harp and psaltery
that we may sweetly sing.

In the new Moon the Trumpet blow,
as God gave us command,
On solemn feasts in general
assemblies of the Land.
For this a statute was ordain'd
by God to Israel,
A law which Jacobs God them gave,
that they might keep it well.

In Joseph this a law he made,
when he went from the land
Of Egypt, where the speech I heard,
I did not understand.
I from the heavy burthens took
his shoulder clean away,
His hands were also quite set free
from making pots of clay.

In trouble thou didst call on me,
and I did set thee free,
From the dark cloud whence thunder comes,
I straight ways answer'd thee.
At the waters of Meribah
I did thee prove and try,
Where murmuring, thou didst of me
ask water, grudgingly.

The Second Part.

Hear, O my people, and I will
declare my law to thee,
My servant Israel, if thou
wilt hearken unto mee,
Besides my self amongst you then
no strange God shall allow,
Nor worship any other God,
nor shall unto it bow.

I am the lord thy God, I thee
brought up from Egypt land,
Open thy mouth, and I will it
fill with an open hand.
But for all this they would not hear
my voice, when I did chuse
For mine own people, Israel me
did utterly refuse.

Therefore in wrath I gave them up
by their lusts to be led,
And so in their own counsels still
they vainly wandered.
O that my people unto me
had hearkned what I said,
And Israel had walked in
my ways, and me obey'd!

I would have quickly by my pow'r
subdu'd their enemies,
And turn'd my hand against all those
that did against them rise.
Gods enemies should soon themselves
have humbled him before,
Their states and prosp'rous times should have
endur'd for evermore.

I would have fed them with the crop
and finest of the wheat,
And made the rock with honey drop,
that they their fill might eat.