A Song for a Festival
1 Shout for joy to God our defender;
sing praise to the God of Jacob!
2 Start the music and beat the tambourines;
play pleasant music on the harps and the lyres.
3 Blow the trumpet for the festival,
when the moon is new and when the moon is full.
4 This is the law in Israel,
an order from the God of Jacob.
5 He gave it to the people of Israel
when he attacked the land of Egypt.
I hear an unknown voice saying,
6 “I took the burdens off your backs;
I let you put down your loads of bricks.
7 When you were in trouble, you called to me, and I saved you.
From my hiding place in the storm, I answered you.
I put you to the test at the springs of Meribah.
8 Listen, my people, to my warning;
Israel, how I wish you would listen to me!
9 You must never worship another god.
10 I am the Lord your God,
who brought you out of Egypt.
Open your mouth, and I will feed you.
11 “But my people would not listen to me;
Israel would not obey me.
12 So I let them go their stubborn ways
and do whatever they wanted.
13 How I wish my people would listen to me;
how I wish they would obey me!
14 I would quickly defeat their enemies
and conquer all their foes.
15 Those who hate me would bow in fear before me;
their punishment would last forever.
16 But I would feed you with the finest wheat
and satisfy you with wild honey.”
1 To him that excelleth upon Gittith. A Psalme committed to Asaph. Sing ioyfully vnto God our strength: sing loude vnto the God of Iaakob. 2 Take the song and bring forth the timbrel, the pleasant harpe with the viole. 3 Blowe the trumpet in the newe moone, euen in the time appointed, at our feast day. 4 For this is a statute for Israel, and a Law of the God of Iaakob. 5 Hee set this in Ioseph for a testimonie, when hee came out of the land of Egypt, where I heard a language, that I vnderstoode not. 6 I haue withdrawen his shoulder from the burden, and his handes haue left the pots. 7 Thou calledst in affliction and I deliuered thee, and answered thee in the secret of the thunder: I prooued thee at the waters of Meribah. Selah. 8 Heare, O my people, and I wil protest vnto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken vnto me, 9 Let there bee no strange god in thee, neither worship thou any strange god. 10 For 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 heare my voyce, and Israel would none of me. 12 So I gaue them vp vnto the hardnesse of their heart, and they haue walked in their owne cousels. 13 Oh that my people had hearkened vnto me, and Israel had walked in my wayes. 14 I would soone haue humbled their enemies, and turned mine hand against their aduersaries. 15 The haters of the Lord should haue bene subiect vnto him, and their time should haue endured for euer. 16 And God would haue fedde them with the fatte of wheat, and with honie out of the rocke would I haue sufficed thee.