Psalm 81 Poem by Justin Reamer

Shout for joy to honour God our strength,
shout to acclaim the God of Jacob!

Start the music, sound the drum,
the melodious lyre and the harp;
sound the New Moon trumpet,
at the full moon, on our feastday!

This is a statute binding on Israel,
an ordinance of the God of Jacob,
this decree He imposed on Joseph
when He went to war against Egypt.

I can hear a voice I no longer recognise,
'It was I who relieved your shoulder of the burden,
your hands could drop the labourer's basket;
you called in your trouble, so I rescued you.

'Hidden in the storm, I answered you,
I tested you at the waters of Meribah.
Listen, you are My people, let Me warn you.
Israel, if you would only listen to Me!

'Tolerate no foreign god,
worship no alien god;
I, Yahweh, am your God,
I who brought you here from Egypt;
you have only to open your mouth for Me to fill it.

'My people refused to listen to Me,
Israel refused to obey Me,
so I left them to their stubborn selves
to do whatever they pleased.

'If only My people would listen,
if Israel could follow My ways,
at one blow I would defeat their enemies
and strike at all who attack them.

'Then those that hate Yahweh would cringe,
their doom being sealed for ever;
while I would feed you on pure wheat
and satisfy you with the wild rock honey.'