Psalm 81

Setting

Sing for joy to God our Saviour;

Free Church of Scotland psalter · 8 7 8 7

The words

Sing for joy to God our Saviour; shout aloud to Jacob’s Lord! Start the music; strike the timbrel; play on strings a pleasing chord.

Sound the trumpet at the New Moon and at the full moon as well, At the feast by God appointed and decreed for Israel.

God ordained this law for Joseph when he ravaged Egypt’s land; There we listened to a language which we did not understand.

He said: “I removed their burdens and their aching hands set free. I delivered you from trouble when you called for help to me.

“From the thundercloud of Sinai all your people I addressed; When at Meribah you murmured, there I put you to the test.

“Hear, my people, let me warn you— if you would but listen now! No strange god shall be among you; to a false god do not bow.

“I, who brought you up from Egypt, your own God, the LORD, am I; Open wide your mouth towards me, and your food I will supply.

“But my people would not listen— would not do what I required. So I gave them up to follow what their stubborn hearts desired.

“If my people would but heed me, Isr’el follow my command, I would soon subdue their en’mies, and against them turn my hand.

“Those who hate the LORD would cower, and their doom would never end. But with finest wheat I’d feed you, honey from the rock I’d send.”

Source & provenance

Free Church of Scotland psalter · psalter

An unedited transcription of the Sing Psalms (Free Church of Scotland, 2003) edition.

Full provenance & rights
Base edition
Sing Psalms (Free Church of Scotland, 2003)
Editor
Psalmody Committee of the Free Church of Scotland
Editing
unedited transcription

Rights

Copyright
rights-verified (display held); FCS terms recorded 2026-10-08 — verbatim text in a notated setting with independent tune MIDI is within terms (text free, FCS attribution displayed); copy/print/offline not granted; no audio derivatives
Access
free
Display
permitted

Tunes it can be sung to

3 tunes

  • Alice

    curated well-matched

    8.7.8.7

  • Cross of Jesus

    curated well-matched

    8.7.8.7

  • John Street

    curated well-matched

    8.7.8.7

How is this list ordered?

Curated pairings come first — a tune a curator recorded against this text, with the fitness they recorded. A tune that merely shares the meter is listed as a tune in the same meter and never as a pairing.

Nothing here is ranked by popularity or use. The page reports what a curator recorded, not a verdict of its own.