Psalm 81 J.H.
Words: Sternhold and Hopkins, The Whole Book of Psalms Collected into English Metre
1 Be light and glad, in God rejoice,
who is our strength and stay;
Be joyful, and lift up your voice
to Jacob's God alway.
2 Prepare your instruments most meet
some joyful psalm to sing;
Strike up with harp and lute so sweet,
on Ev'ry pleasant string.
3 Blow as it were in the new moon,
with trumpets of the best
As it is used to be done
at any solemn feast.
4 For this is unto Israel
a statute which was made
By Jacob's God, and must full well
be evermore obeyed.
5 This clause with Joseph was decreed,
when he from Egypt came,
That as a witness all his seed
should still observe the same.
6 When God himself had so prepared
to bring him from that land;
Whereas the speech which he had heard
he did not understand.
7 I from his shoulder took, saith he,
the burden clean away;
And from the furnace set him free
from burning brick of clay.
8 When thou in grief didst cry and call,
I helped thee speedily;
And I did answer thee withal
in thunder from on high.
9 Yea, at the waters of discord
I did thee tempt and prove,
Where thou the anger of the Lord
with murmuring didst move.
10 Hear, O my people Israel,
what I do promise thee;
Regard and mark my words full well,
if thou wilt cleave to me.
The second part
11 Thou shalt no god in thee reserve,
of any land abroad;
And in no wise bow to or serve
a strange and foreign god.
12 I am the Lord thy God, and I
from Egypt set thee free;
Then ask of me abundantly,
and I will give it thee.
13 But yet my people would not hear
my voice when that I spake;
And Israel would not obey
but did me quite forsake.
14 Then did I leave them to their will,
in hardness of their heart;
To walk in their own counsels still,
themselves they did pervert.
15 O that my people would have heard
the words that I did say;
And Israel with due regard
had walk-ed in my way!
16 I should have soon destroyed their foes,
and brought them down full low,
And turned my hand against all tho9se
that sought their overthrow.
17 And they that at the Lord did rage
as liars should be found;
But for his folk, their time and age
should with great joy be crowned:
18 I would have fed them with the crop
and finest of the wheat,
And made the rock with honey drop
that they their fills might eat.
