Psalms 124:3

¹²Then the king’s scribes were called in on the first month, on the thirteenth day of the month; and all that Haman commanded was written to the king’s local governors, and to the governors who were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to its writing, and to every people in their language. It was written in the name of King Ahasuerus, and it was sealed with the king’s ring. ¹³Letters were sent by couriers into all the king’s provinces, to destroy, to kill, and to cause to perish, all Jews, both young and old, little children and women, in one day, even on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, which is the month Adar, and to plunder their possessions.

²and asked for letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

³⁰But if the LORD makes a new thing, and the ground opens its mouth, and swallows them up with all that belong to them, and they go down alive into Sheol,^[+] then you shall understand that these men have despised the LORD.”

³¹As he finished speaking all these words, the ground that was under them split apart. ³²The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up with their households, all of Korah’s men, and all their goods. ³³So they, and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol.^[+] The earth closed on them, and they perished from among the assembly. ³⁴All Israel that were around them fled at their cry; for they said, “Lest the earth swallow us up!”

³He will send from heaven, and save me, he rebukes the one who is pursuing me. Selah. God will send out his loving kindness and his truth.

²When evildoers came at me to eat up my flesh, even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.

¹⁶Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.

²⁵Don’t let them say in their heart, “Aha! That’s the way we want it!” Don’t let them say, “We have swallowed him up!”

¹⁹Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his appearance was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated.

³⁰Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse rebellious woman, don’t I know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness? ³¹For as long as the son of Jesse lives on the earth, you will not be established, nor will your kingdom. Therefore now send and bring him to me, for he shall surely die!”

³²Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to him, “Why should he be put to death? What has he done?”

³³Saul cast his spear at him to strike him. By this Jonathan knew that his father was determined to put David to death.

¹Be merciful to me, God, for man wants to swallow me up. All day long, he attacks and oppresses me. ²My enemies want to swallow me up all day long, for they are many who fight proudly against me.