2 *Kings 5

₁Naaman was the chief of the king of Aram's army. He was an important man and the king respected him because the Lord had used Naaman to helped the Arameans win when they made war_against their enemies. Naaman was good at war, but he became sick. He had leprosy.

₂Some time before this the Aramean soldiers had attacked a few towns in the land_of_Israel and then Naaman had brought back a little girl from Israel to work as a slave in his house. ₃The little girl said to Naaman's wife: ‘If only my master, Naaman, could go to the prophet Elisha in Samaria, then the prophet would make him better and he would not have leprosy anymore.’

₄Naaman told the king what the girl who came from the land_of_Israel had said ₅and the king of Aram said to Naaman: ‘You must go to Israel. I will write a letter to the king_of_Israel and give it to you.’ Naaman went to the land_of_Israel and he took 10 talents of silver, 6 000 shekels of gold and clothes for 10 people with him. ₆He took the letter from his king to the king_of_Israel. The king of Aram wrote in the letter: ‘When you get this letter, you must know that it is I who has sent my officer, Naaman, to you to make him better. He has leprosy.’

₇When the king_of_Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said: ‘Does he think I am God who can cause people to die or can make them alive? Why does he send his officer with leprosy to me to heal him? It looks like he wants to start trouble.’

₈They told Elisha, the man of God, that the king had torn his clothes and he sent a message to the king and asked him: ‘Why do you tear your clothes? Send Naaman to me so that he can know that there is a prophet in the land_of_Israel.’ ₉Naaman went with his horses and his war-chariot and he stopped at the door of Elisha's house. ₁₀Elisha sent his servant to Naaman and he said: ‘Go to the Jordan River and wash yourself 7 times in the water, then your skin will be healthy and you will be pure again.’ ₁₁But Naaman was angry and he went away. He said: ‘I thought Elisha would come out to meet me and pray to his God and put his hand over the leprosy and heal me. ₁₂The Abana River and Pharpar River of Damascus are better than all the waters of Israel. If I must wash myself in a river to become pure, then I could have done it in my own land.’ Naaman was very angry and he wanted to go home. ₁₃But his servants talked to him and said: ‘Sir, if the prophet told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now he has said that you must only go and wash yourself, and then you will be pure again.’

₁₄Then Naaman went down to the Jordan River and he washed himself 7 times in the water as the man of God had said. And then his skin became as healthy as a little baby's skin and he was pure again. ₁₅He went back to the man of God and he and all his people came to stand before Elisha. Naaman said: ‘Now I know that there is no other God in the whole world. There is only the God of Israel. And now I want to give you a gift.’ ₁₆But Elisha said: ‘As sure as the Lord lives, for whom I work, I will not take anything from you.’ Naaman asked Elisha again and again to take it, but Elisha did not want to take anything from him. ₁₇Then Naaman said: ‘If you do not want to take anything from me, may I please take some of the sand from this land, as much as 2 mules can carry? From now on I will give offerings only to the Lord, not to other gods. ₁₈But there is one thing that I ask the Lord to forgive me: When my king goes into the temple of his god Rimmon to worship, then he will tell me to stand next to him and worship with him. I ask the Lord to forgive me when I do that.’ ₁₉Elisha said to Naaman: ‘That is not a problem. He will forgive you.’

Naaman went away, but he was not far from Elisha ₂₀when Gehazi, who worked for Elisha, the man of God, said to himself: ‘My master said this Aramaean man can go and he does not have to pay or give him one of the gifts that he had brought with him. As sure as the Lord lives, I will run to him and get something from him.’ ₂₁Gehazi ran after Naaman and when Naaman saw someone running towards him, he stopped. He got off his chariot and he waited for Gehazi. When Gehazi came to him, Naaman asked: ‘Is there something wrong?’ ₂₂Gehazi said: ‘No, there is nothing wrong. My master sent me to tell you that 2 young men came to him from Mount Ephraim. They are prophets and you must please give my master one talent of silver and clothes for 2 people.’ ₂₃Naaman said: ‘You must please take 2 talents of silver.’ He asked Gehazi over and over to take 2 talents of silver and he put them into 2 bags and he gave them with the clothes. Gehazi gave them to 2 of his servants and they carried them. ₂₄When they came to the top of the hill, Gehazi took the bags from the servants and he put them in his house. Then he told them to go back and they did. ₂₅Gehazi came back to his master and Elisha asked him: ‘Where have you been, Gehazi?’ Gehazi said: ‘I did not go anywhere.’ ₂₆Then Elisha said: ‘I saw when the man got off his chariot and waited for you. This is not the time to take silver and clothes, or olive trees or vineyards or sheep or goats or cattle or slaves or slave women. ₂₇Naaman had leprosy, but now you and your descendants will always have his leprosy.’

When Gehazi went away from Elisha, Gehazi had leprosy. His skin was as white as snow.