Psalm 81:5-16
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
5 For this is a law for Israel,
an edict of the God of Jacob,(A)
6 He made it a decree for Joseph
when he came out of the land of Egypt.
II
7 [a]I heard a tongue I did not know:
“I removed his shoulder from the burden;[b]
his hands moved away from the basket.(B)
8 In distress you called and I rescued you;
I answered you in secret with thunder;
At the waters of Meribah[c] I tested you:(C) 9 ‘Listen, my people, I will testify against you
Selah
If only you will listen to me, Israel!(D)
10 There shall be no foreign god among you;[d](E)
you shall not bow down to an alien god.
11 ‘I am the Lord your God,
who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
Open wide your mouth that I may fill it.’
12 But my people did not listen to my words;
Israel would not submit to me.
13 So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart;
‘Let them walk in their own machinations.’(F)
14 O that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would walk in my ways,(G)
15 In a moment I would humble their foes,
and turn back my hand against their oppressors.(H)
16 Those who hate the Lord will try flattering him,
but their fate is fixed forever.
Footnotes
- 81:7 I heard a tongue I did not know: a Temple official speaks the word of God (Ps 81:5b–16), which is authoritative and unlike merely human words (cf. Nm 24:4, 16).
- 81:7 I removed his shoulder from the burden: A reference to the liberation of Israel from slavery in Egypt. The basket: for carrying clay to make bricks, cf. Ex 1:14.
- 81:8 Meribah: place of rebellion in the wilderness; cf. Ex 17:7; Nm 20:13.
- 81:10 There shall be no foreign god among you: as in Ps 50 and 95, Israel is challenged to obey the first commandment of fidelity to God after the proclamation of the exodus.
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.