[1] Sing with joy to God, our strength, our fortress. Raise your voices to the True God of Jacob. [2] Sing and strike up a melody; sound the tambourine, strum the sweet lyre and the harp. [3] Blow the trumpet to announce the new moon, the full moon, the day of our feast. [4] For this is prescribed for Israel, a rule ordained by the True God of Jacob. [5] A precept established by God in Joseph during His journey in Egypt. I hear it said in a language foreign to me: [6] "I removed the burden from your shoulders; I removed heavy baskets from your hands. [7] You cried out to Me, I heard your distress, and I delivered you; I answered you from the secret place, where clouds of thunder roll. I tested you at the waters of Meribah. [pause] [8] "O My people, hear Me; I will rebuke you. Israel, Israel! If you would only listen to Me. [9] Do not surround yourselves with other gods or bow down to strange gods. [10] I am the Eternal, your True God. I liberated you from slavery, led you out from the land of Egypt. If you open your mouth wide, I will fill it. [11] "But My own people did not hear My voice! Israel refused to obey Me. [12] So I freed them to follow their hard hearts, to do what they thought was best. [13] If only My people would hear My voice and Israel would follow My direction! [14] Then I would not hesitate to humble their enemies and defeat their opposition Myself. [15] Those who hate the Eternal will cower in His presence, pretending to submit; they secretly loathe Him, yet their doom is forever. [16] But you-I will feed you the best wheat and satisfy you with honey out of the rock."
