Psalm 81
Words: The Psalter of the United Presbyterian Church of North America, 1887 ed.
1 Sing loud to God our strength; with joy
To God of Jacob sing.
Take up a psalm, the pleasant harp,
Timbrel and psalt'ry bring.
2 Blow trumpets at new-moon, what day
Our feast appointed is:
For charge to Isr'el, and a law
Of Jacob's God was this:
3 This testimony he ordained
To Joseph, When the land
Of Egypt he passed thro', whose speech
I did not understand.
4 His shoulder I from burdens took,
His hands from pots did free.
Thou didst in trouble on me call,
And I delivered thee:
5 In secret place of thundering
I did thee answer make;
And at the streams of Meribah
Of thee a proof did take.
6 O thou, my people, give an ear,
I'll testify to thee;
To thee, O Isr'el, if thou wilt
But hearken unto me.
7 In midst of thee there shall not be
A heathen god at all;
Nor unto any god unknown
Thou, bowing down, shalt fall.
8 I am the Lord thy God, who did
From Egypt hind thee guide;
I'll fill thy mouth abundantly,
Do thee open wide.
9 My people would not hear my voice,
My presence Isr'el spurned;
I gave them then to stubborn hearts,
And where they would, they turned.
10 O that my people had me heard,
Isr'el my ways had chose!
I had their en'mies soon subdued,
My hand turned on their foes.
11 The haters of the Lord to him
Submission should have feigned;
But as for them, their time should have
For evermore remained.
12 He should have also fed them with
The finest of the wheat!
Of honey from the rock thy fill
I should have made thee eat.
Note: This version is the same as the Scottish Psalter of 1650. Remember that the Presbyterian Psalm Singing heritage goes back to that Psalter and before, so no doubt the congregations were already familiar with this version and might have missed it if it had not been included. There are many other examples like this in the 1887 Presbyterian Psalter.
