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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

Psalms 81:8

Hear, O My people, and I testify to you, || O Israel, if you listen to me:

Bible Study Resources

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Type, typology;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Prophecy, Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Asaph;   Music and Musical Instruments;   Priests and Levites;   Psalms;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Gittith;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- The Jewish Encyclopedia - Selah;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Listen, my people, and I will admonish you.Israel, if you would only listen to me!
Hebrew Names Version
"Hear, my people, and I will testify to you. Yisra'el, if you would listen to me!
King James Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me;
English Standard Version
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
New Century Version
My people, listen. I am warning you. Israel, please listen to me!
New English Translation
I said, ‘Listen, my people! I will warn you! O Israel, if only you would obey me!
Amplified Bible
"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you— O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
New American Standard Bible
"Hear, My people, and I will admonish you; Israel, if you would listen to Me!
World English Bible
"Hear, my people, and I will testify to you. Israel, if you would listen to me!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Heare, O my people, and I wil protest vnto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken vnto me,
Legacy Standard Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will testify against you;O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
Berean Standard Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will warn you: O Israel, if only you would listen to Me!
Contemporary English Version
"Listen, my people, while I, the Lord, correct you! Israel, if you would only pay attention to me!
Complete Jewish Bible
You called out when you were in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you from the thundercloud; I tested you at the M'rivah Spring [by saying,] (Selah)
Darby Translation
Hear, my people, and I will testify unto thee; O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
Easy-to-Read Version
"My people, I am warning you. Israel, listen to me!
George Lamsa Translation
Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, I will testify about you. If you will listen to me;
Good News Translation
Listen, my people, to my warning; Israel, how I wish you would listen to me!
Lexham English Bible
Hear, O my people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me.
Literal Translation
My people, listen, and I will testify against you, whether you will listen to Me:
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
I proued the also at the water of strife.
American Standard Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
Bible in Basic English
Give ear, O my people, and I will give you my word, O Israel, if you will only do as I say!
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Thou didst call in trouble, and I rescued thee;
King James Version (1611)
Heare, O my people, and I will testifie vnto thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken vnto me:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
[Then I sayd] heare O my people: and I wyll geue thee a charge O Israel in protesting vnto thee.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Hear, my people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel; and I will testify to thee: if thou wilt hearken to me;
English Revised Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee: O Israel, if thou wouldest hearken unto me!
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
My puple, here thou, and Y schal be witnesse ayens thee;
Update Bible Version
Hear, O my people, and I will testify to you: O Israel, if you would listen to me!
Webster's Bible Translation
Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee; O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me;
New King James Version
"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel, if you will listen to Me!
New Living Translation
"Listen to me, O my people, while I give you stern warnings. O Israel, if you would only listen to me!
New Life Bible
Hear, O My people, and I will tell you what to do. O Israel, if you would listen to Me!
New Revised Standard
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you; O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Hear, O my people, and I will adjure thee, O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me!
Douay-Rheims Bible
(80-9) Hear, O my people, and I will testify to thee: O Israel, if thou wilt hearken to me,
Revised Standard Version
Hear, O my people, while I admonish you! O Israel, if you would but listen to me!
Young's Literal Translation
Hear, O My people, and I testify to thee, O Israel, if thou dost hearken to me:
THE MESSAGE
"Listen, dear ones—get this straight; O Israel, don't take this lightly. Don't take up with strange gods, don't worship the latest in gods. I'm God , your God, the very God who rescued you from doom in Egypt, Then fed you all you could eat, filled your hungry stomachs.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you; O Israel, if you would listen to Me!

Contextual Overview

8Hear, O My people, and I testify to you, || O Israel, if you listen to me:9There is not in you a strange god, || And you do not bow yourself to a strange god. 10I [am] your God YHWH, || Who brings you up out of the land of Egypt. Enlarge your mouth, and I fill it. 11But My people did not listen to My voice, || And Israel has not consented to Me. 12And I send them away in the enmity of their heart, || They walk in their own counsels. 13O that My people were listening to Me, || Israel would walk in My ways. 14As a little thing I cause their enemies to bow, || And I turn back My hand against their adversaries, 15Those hating YHWH should have feigned [obedience] to Him, || And their time would last for all time. 16He causes him to eat of the fat of wheat, || And I satisfy you [with] honey from a rock!

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Hear: Psalms 50:7, Deuteronomy 32:46, Isaiah 55:3, Isaiah 55:4, John 3:11, John 3:32, John 3:33, Acts 20:21, 1 John 5:9

if thou wilt: Psalms 81:13, Exodus 15:26, Deuteronomy 5:27, Isaiah 1:19

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 17:13 - testified Nehemiah 9:16 - hearkened Isaiah 46:3 - Hearken Micah 6:3 - O my Zechariah 7:13 - as Malachi 3:5 - a swift Matthew 23:37 - how

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee,.... Of himself, his being, and perfections; what he was unto them, had done for them, and would do for them, as in the following verses: or "testify in thee" d, bear witness to their spirits, that they were his people, and he was their God; this is a witness which the people of God have in themselves; it is the inward testimony of the Spirit; besides which, there is the outward testimony of the word, and which also may be here meant; for it may be rendered,

I will give a testimony to thee: the law is a testimony of the will of God to his people, what he would have done, or not done; and the Gospel is a testimony of his grace, and the whole word testifies of Christ, his person, offices, obedience, sufferings, and death: some render it, "testify against thee" e, for their murmurings, rebellion, and idolatry, as in Psalms 50:7 and they are called upon to hear the voice of God in his word, and in his providences, being his people; and as such he addresses them, which bespeaks interest in them, affection to them, and an acknowledgment of them, and carries in it a reason why they should hear him:

O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; this explains who are meant by the Lord's people, Israel, the posterity of Jacob, a chosen and special people, who are exhorted not only to hear, but to hearken and to obey; suggesting, it would be well with them, if they did as in

Psalms 81:13, and some f take these words to be a wish, as there; "Israel, O that thou wouldest hearken unto me": see Isaiah 48:18.

d אעידה בך "testificabor in te", Gejerus. e "Ut testificer contra te", Schmidt. f So Michaelis, and Gussetius, and Genevenses, in ib. Comment. Ebr. p. 431.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hear, O my people, and I will testify unto thee ... - See the notes at the similar passage in Psalms 50:7. God calls their attention to what he required of them; to what his law demanded; to what was the condition of their being his people and of securing his favor. What the demanded was, that they should acknowledge him; obey him; serve him; that there should be no strange god among them, and that they should worship no false god, Psalms 81:9.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 81:8. Hear, O my people — These are nearly the same words with those spoken at the giving of the law, Exodus 20:2.


 
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