Oh, That My People Would Listen to Me
To the choirmaster: according to aThe Gittith. Of bAsaph.
cSing aloud to God our strength;
dshout for joy to the God of Jacob!
2 Raise a song; sound athe tambourine,
bthe sweet lyre with bthe harp.
3 Blow the trumpet at athe new moon,
at the full moon, on our feast day.
4 For it is a statute for Israel,
a rule of the God of Jacob.
5 He made it aa decree in bJoseph
when he cwent out over the land of Egypt.
dI hear a language eI had not known:
6 “I arelieved your shoulder of bthe burden;
your hands were freed from the basket.
7 In distress you acalled, and I delivered you;
I banswered you in the secret place of thunder;
I ctested you at the waters of Meribah. Selah
8 aHear, O my people, while I admonish you!
O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
9 There shall be no astrange god among you;
you shall not bow down to a bforeign god.
10 aI am the Lord your God,
who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.
bOpen your mouth wide, and I will fill it.
11 “But my people did not listen to my voice;
Israel awould not submit to me.
12 So I agave them over to their bstubborn hearts,
to follow their own ccounsels.
13 aOh, that my people would listen to me,
that Israel would bwalk in my ways!
14 I would soon subdue their enemies
and aturn my hand against their foes.
15 Those who hate the Lord would acringe toward him,
and their fate would last forever.
16 But he would feed you with athe finest of the wheat,
and with bhoney from the rock I would satisfy you.”