2 Kings 5

Revised Geneva Translation

5 Now was there one Naaman, captain of the army of the king of Aram, a great man, and honorable in the sight of his lord, because by him the LORD had delivered the Aramites. He also was a mighty man and valiant, but a leper.

² And the Aramites had gone out by bands and had taken a little maid from the land of Israel. And she served Naaman’s wife.

³ And she said to her mistress, “I wish my lord were with the Prophet that is in Samaria. He would soon deliver him of his leprosy.”

⁴ And he went in and told his lord, saying, “(Thus and thus) says the maid who is from the land of Israel.”

⁵ And the king of Aram said, “Go your way there. And I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” And he departed and took ten talents of silver with him, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing,

⁶ and brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read to this effect, “Now when this letter has come to you, understand that I have sent you Naaman, my servant, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”

⁷ And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said, “Am I God, to kill and to give life that he sends to me, so that I could heal a man from his leprosy? Therefore, please consider and see how he seeks a quarrel against me.”

⁸ But when Elisha, the man of God, had heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me now, and he shall know that there is a Prophet in Israel.”

⁹ Then 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 yourself in Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come back to you, and you shall be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman was angry and went away, and said, “Behold, I thought to myself, ‘He will surely come out and stand and call on the Name of the LORD his God and put his hand on the place and heal the leprosy.’

¹² “Are not Abanah and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash myself in them and be cleansed?” So, he turned and departed in displeasure.

¹³ But his servants came and spoke to him, and said, “Father, if the Prophet had commanded you a great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean?’”

¹⁴ Then he went down and washed himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh came back, like the flesh of a little child. And he was clean.

¹⁵ And he turned back to the man of God (he and all his company), and came and stood before him, and said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the world but in Israel. Now, therefore, please receive a reward from your servant.”

¹⁶ But he said, “As the LORD lives (before Whom I stand), I will not receive it.” And he tried to persuade him to take it. But he refused.

¹⁷ Moreover, Naaman said, “Shall there not be given two mules’ load of this earth to your servant? For from now on, your servant will offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering to any other god except to the LORD.

¹⁸ “In this may the LORD be merciful to your servant: that when my master goes into the House of Rimmon, to worship there, and leans on my hand, and I bow myself in the House of Rimmon—when I do bow down in the House of Rimmon—that the LORD be merciful to your servant in this point.”

¹⁹ To whom he said, “Go in peace.” So, he departed from him, about half a day’s journey of ground.

²⁰ And Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, “Behold, my master has spared this Aramite, Naaman, not receiving those things from his hand that he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”

²¹ So, Gehazi followed speedily after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he dismounted the chariot to meet him, and said, “Is all well?”

²² And he answered, “All is well. My master has sent me, saying, “Behold, two young men have come to me from Mount Ephraim, of the children of the Prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.”

²³ And Naaman said, “Yes. Take two talents.” And he broke open some bundles and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and gave them to two of his servants, so that they might bear them before him.

²⁴ And when he came to the tower, he took them out of their hands and laid them in the house and sent away the men. And they departed.

²⁵ Then, he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.”

²⁶ But he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments and olives and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants?

²⁷ “The leprosy, therefore, of Naaman shall cling to you, and to your seed, forever.” And he went out from his presence as a leper, white as snow.