30. When the king heard this, he tore his clothes in despair. And as the king walked along the wall, the people could see that he was wearing burlap under his robe next to his skin.
31. “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.
32. Elisha was sitting in his house with the elders of Israel when the king sent a messenger to summon him. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, “A murderer has sent a man to cut off my head. When he arrives, shut the door and keep him out. We will soon hear his master’s steps following him.”
33. While Elisha was still saying this, the messenger arrived. And the king said, “All this misery is from the lord! Why should I wait for the lord any longer?”