2 Kings 6:31

Contemporary English Version

He said, "I pray that God will punish me terribly, if Elisha's head is still on his shoulders by this time tomorrow."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

Hebrew Names Version
Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shafat shall stand on him this day.

King James Version
Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

English Standard Version
and he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today."

New Century Version
He said, "May God punish me terribly if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat isn't cut off from his body today!"

New English Translation
Then he said, "May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!"

Amplified Bible
Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

New American Standard Bible
Then he said, "May God do so to me and more so, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he saide, God doe so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the sonne of Shaphat shall stande on him this day.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today."

Complete Jewish Bible
Then he said, "May God do terrible things to me, and worse ones too, if the head of Elisha the son of Shafat remains on his body by day's end."

Darby Translation
And he said, God do so, and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall remain on him this day!

Easy-to-Read Version
The king said, "May God punish me if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat is still on his body at the end of this day!"

George Lamsa Translation
Then he said, May God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall remain on him this day.

Good News Translation
He exclaimed, "May God strike me dead if Elisha is not beheaded before the day is over!"

Lexham English Bible
Then he said, "May God do to me and thus may he add, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

Literal Translation
And he said, So may God do to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall remain on him today.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he sayde: God do this and that vnto me, yf the heade of Eliseus the sonne of Saphat shal this daye stonde vpon him.

American Standard Version
Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

Bible in Basic English
Then he said, May God's punishment come on me if Elisha, the son of Shaphat, keeps his head on his body after this day.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then he sayd: God do so & more also to me, if the head of Elisa the sonne of Saphat shall stande on him this day.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Then he said: 'God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.'

King James Version (1611)
Then he said, God doe so, and more also to mee, if the head of Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, shall stand on him this day.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisaie shall stand upon him this day.

English Revised Version
Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

Berean Standard Bible
He announced, "May God punish me, and ever so severely, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders through this day!"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And the kyng seide, God do to me these thingis, and adde these thingis, if the heed of Elise, sone of Saphat, schal stonde on hym to dai.

Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `Thus doth God do to me, and thus He doth add -- if it remain -- the head of Elisha son of Shaphat -- upon him this day.'

Update Bible Version
Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

World English Bible
Then he said, God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

New King James Version
Then he said, "God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today!"

New Living Translation
"May God strike me and even kill me if I don't separate Elisha's head from his shoulders this very day," the king vowed.

New Life Bible
Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today."

New Revised Standard
and he said, "So may God do to me, and more, if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat stays on his shoulders today."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - So, let God do to me, and, so, let him add, - if the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remain on him, to-day!

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king said: May God do so and so to me, and may he add more, if the head of Eliseus, the son of Saphat, shall stand on him this day.

Revised Standard Version
and he said, "May God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Eli'sha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he said, "May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on him today."

Contextual Overview

²⁴ Some time later, King Benhadad of Syria called his entire army together, then they marched to Samaria and attacked. ²⁵ They kept up the attack until there was nothing to eat in the city. In fact, a donkey's head cost about two pounds of silver, and a small bowl of pigeon droppings cost about two ounces of silver. ²⁶ One day as the king of Israel was walking along the top of the city wall, a woman shouted to him, "Please, Your Majesty, help me!" ²⁷ "Let the Lord help you!" the king said. "Do you think I have grain or wine to give you?" ²⁸ Then he asked, "What's the matter anyway?" The woman answered, "Another woman and I were so hungry that we agreed to eat our sons. She said if we ate my son one day, we could eat hers the next day. ²⁹ So yesterday we cooked my son and ate him. But today when I went to her house to eat her son, she had hidden him." ³⁰ The king tore off his clothes in sorrow, and since he was on top of the city wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth underneath. ³¹ He said, "I pray that God will punish me terribly, if Elisha's head is still on his shoulders by this time tomorrow." ³² Then he sent a messenger to Elisha. Elisha was home at the time, and the important leaders of Israel were meeting with him. Even before the king's messenger arrived, Elisha told the leaders, "That murderer is sending someone to cut off my head. When you see him coming, shut the door and don't let him in. I'm sure the king himself will be right behind him." ³³ Before Elisha finished talking, the messenger came up and said, "The Lord has made all these terrible things happen to us. Why should I think he will help us now?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

God do so: Ruth 1:17, 1 Samuel 3:17, 1 Samuel 14:44, 1 Samuel 25:22, 2 Samuel 3:9, 2 Samuel 3:35, 2 Samuel 19:13, 1 Kings 2:23

if the head: 1 Kings 18:17, 1 Kings 19:2, 1 Kings 22:8, Jeremiah 37:15, Jeremiah 37:16, Jeremiah 38:4, John 11:50, Acts 23:12, Acts 23:13

Reciprocal: Leviticus 5:4 - to do evil 2 Kings 3:2 - wrought 2 Kings 5:20 - as the Lord liveth Proverbs 16:14 - messengers Ecclesiastes 10:13 - beginning Jeremiah 32:3 - Zedekiah Matthew 14:9 - the oath's Mark 6:23 - he Luke 6:23 - for in

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then he said, God do so and more also to me,.... He swore and made dreadful imprecations:

if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day; imputing the sore famine to him, because he had foretold it, and did not pray for the removal of it, as he might; and perhaps had advised and encouraged the king to hold out the siege, which had brought them to this extremity, and therefore was enraged at him.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

God do so ... - Jehoram uses almost the very words of his wicked mother, when she sought the life of Elijah (marginal reference).

The head of Elisha - Beheading was not an ordinary Jewish punishment. The Law did not sanction it. But in Assyria, Babylonia, and generally through the East, it was the most conmon form of capital punishment. It is not quite clear why Elisha was to be punished. Perhaps Jehoram argued from his other miracles that he could give deliverance from the present peril, if he liked.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 31. If the head of Elisha - shall stand on him — Either he attributed these calamities to the prophet, or else he thought he could remove them, and yet would not. The miserable king was driven to desperation.