Song (Psalm) 81

Note: This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public. Some things (like capitalisation of ‘him’ referring to Jesus or ‘father’ referring to God) in the RV haven’t been decided yet so we’re still testing both ways.

Note: The Readers’ Version on the left is a translation into contemporary English aimed at the person on the street who hasn’t necessarily been brought up with exposure to Biblical jargon and/or 500-year old English. It’s designed to be used alongside the Literal Version on the right which gives the English reader a window into what’s actually written in the original languages. (See the introduction for more details—we recommend that you read the introduction first if you’re wanting to fully understand the Literal Version.) By comparing the left and right columns, you should be able to easily get the message of the text, while at the same time keeping an eye on what it was actually translated from.

Note that greyed words in the RV are words that the translators consider were most probably in the mind of the writer, but as none of us can double-check with the original speakers or writers, the reader is free to disagree. They are clearly marked because we’ve tried to be as honest and transparent as possible.

The lighter coloured words in the LV are words which aren’t needed in the grammar of the original languages but are required or implied in English. You can read the Key to learn more about them. The underlines joining words in the LV show when one original language word needs to be translated into two or more English words. (Just hide them with the button if you don’t need that information and find it distracting.) Also, the majority of sentences in the LV don’t have the words put into a sensible English order yet. (This should be completed by the end of 2023.)

Readers’ Version

Literal Version

81:1 Thanking God for relief

A Song for a Festival; God’s Appeal to Stubborn Israel

For the musical director: a song by Asaf ≈to be accompanied by stringed instruments.[fn]

To the leader: according to The Gittith. Of Asaph.; For the director of music. According to gittith. Of Asaph.; For the choir director: A psalm of Asaph, to be accompanied by a stringed instrument.; For the leader: according to the gittith: for Asaph

81 Sing aloud to God our strength.

≈Shout out to Yakov’s God with happiness.

2 Sing a song and play the tambourine—

the pleasant lyre with the harp.

3 Blow the trumpet on the day of the new moon,

≈on the day of the full moon, when our celebration begins,

4 because it’s a statute for Yisrael—

≈a decree given by Yakov’s God.

5 He issued it as a regulation in Yosef (Joseph, but referring to Yisrael)

when he went against Egypt,

where I heard a voice that I didn’t recognize:

6 “I removed the burden from his shoulder.