In loftiest strains address the mighty God

1 In loftiest strains address the mighty God;
To Israel's great redeemer chant aloud;
2 Chant the glad psalm, and to the timbrel join
The lute, the psaltery, harmony divine!
3 Sound, sound the clarion, and your joy display;
Now is the Hated feast, the solemn day;
4 The sacred solemn day, which heav'n ordain'd,
Which Israel swore t' observe, while time remain'd;
5 The great memorial of Egyptian rage,
When nought cou'd Pharaoh's harden'd heart assuage;
When on the banks of Nile, sad wand'rers, they
In direful bondage groan'd, and felt dismay;
When they a language heard, not understood;
6 When bent their backs beneath the galling load.
7 "'Twas then, in misery sunk, with griefs appall'd,
"With fervent prayer (says God) on me you call'd;
"On me you call'd, and I indulgent heard,
"Dispers'd your woes, your road to freedom clear'd;
"Enwrapt in clouds, I gave my sacred law,
"In thunder spoke, and struck your souls with awe;
"Your faith at Merihah's fam'd waters prov'd,
"Forgave your murmurs, and the cause remov'd.
8 "Hear, O my people, with attention hear,
"Hear, while my solemn promise I declare:
9 "If thou my laws, my statutes, will obey,
"And after other gods wilt scorn to stray:
"If to their altars thou'lt no victims bring,
10 "But only worship me, thy God, thy king,
"Thy God that from hard bondage set thee free,
" And pav'd thy way to peace, to liberty;
"On thee I'll blessings 'bove thy hopes bestow,
"And ev'ry solid good to thee shall flow;
11 "Vainly I said; my people wou'd not hear,
"But to my promise tum'd a listless ear;
12 "Therefore I left them to their worst of foes,
"Their senseless selves, the guides themselves had chose;
"Therefore I left them, madly to fulfil
"The wretched dictates of their headstrong will.
13 "But Oh! that they had heard me, and obey'd,
"Nor ever from the way I taught them stray'd!
14 "Me their support, with glory they had reign'd,
"And o'er their foes a noble conquest gain'd.
15 "I had not then maintain'd the odious cause
"Of those that hate me, and despise my laws;
"To Israel they had yielded; Israel's God
"Eternal rule on Israel had bestow'd;
16 "Them with what happy affluence I had blest!
"The fields had furnish'd a continual feast;
"From the hard rock had gush'd ambrosial rills,
"Sweet as the nectar, which the bee distils.

Source: New Version of the Psalms of David #LXXXI