2Kgs 5
1
Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master,
and honorable, because by him YHWH had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty
man of valor, [but he was] a leper.
2
And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land
of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Naaman`s wife.
3
And she said to her mistress, Would that my lord were with the prophet that is in
Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.
4
And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maiden that is
of the land of Israel.
5
And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.
And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces]
of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now when this letter
is come to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may recover
him of his leprosy.
7
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his
clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man does send to
me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeks
a quarrel against me.
8
And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his
clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore have you rent your clothes? let
him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the
house of Elisha.
10
And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times,
and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean.
11
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come
out to me, and stand, and call on the name of YHWH his God, and wave his hand over
the place, and recover the leper.
12
Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of
Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13
And his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, My father, if the prophet
had bid you do some great thing, would you not have done it? how much rather then,
when he says to you, Wash, and be clean?
14
Then went he down, and dipped [himself] seven times in the Jordan, according to the
saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like to the flesh of a little child,
and he was clean.
15
And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before
him; and he said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in
Israel: now therefore, I pray you, take a present of your servant.
16
But he said, As YHWH lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged
him to take it; but he refused.
17
And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray you, let there be given to your servant two mules`
burden of earth; for your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor
sacrifice to other gods, but to YHWH.
18
In this thing YHWH pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon
to worship there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon,
when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, YHWH pardon your servant in this thing.
19
And he said to him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.
20
But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared
this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as YHWH
lives, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
21
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted
from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22
And he said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are
come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets;
give them, I pray you, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.
23
And Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents
of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his
servants; and they bare them before him.
24
And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the
house; and he let the men go, and they departed.
25
But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, Whence come you,
Gehazi? And he said, Your servant went no where.
26
And he said to him, Went not my heart [with you], when the man turned from his chariot
to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards
and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
27
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to you, and to your seed for ever. And
he went out from his presence a leper [as white] as snow.