AB - II Kings - 5

5:1  Now Naaman, the captain of the army of Syria, was a great man before his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria, and the man was mighty in strength, but he was a leper.

5:2  And the Syrians went forth in small bands, and took captive out of the land of Israel a young girl; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

5:3  And she said to her mistress, O that my lord were before the prophet of God in Samaria; then he would heal him from his leprosy.

5:4  And she went in and told her lord, and said, Thus and thus spoke the girl from the land of Israel.

5:5  And the king of Syria said to Naaman, Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he went, and took in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.

5:6  And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now then, as soon as this letter shall reach you, behold, I have sent to you my servant Naaman, and you shall heal him from his leprosy.

5:7  And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes, and said, Am I God, able to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to heal a man of his leprosy? Consider, however, and see that this man seeks an occasion against me.

5:8  And it came to pass, when Elisha heard that the king of Israel had tore his clothes, that he sent to the king of Israel, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Let Naaman come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

5:9  So Naaman came with horse and chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

5:10  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh shall return to you, and you shall be cleansed.

5:11  But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, Behold, I said to myself, He will by all means come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of his God, and lay his hand upon the place, and heal the leprosy.

5:12  Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not go and wash in them, and be cleansed? And he turned and went away in a rage.

5:13  And his servants came near and said to him, Suppose the prophet had spoken a great thing to you, would you not perform it? Yet he has but said to you, Wash, and be cleansed.

5:14  So Naaman went down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of Elisha; and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.

5:15  And he and all his company returned to Elisha, and he came and stood before him, and said, Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, save only in Israel; and now receive a blessing from your servant.

5:16  And Elisha said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not take anything. And he pressed him to take something; but he would not.

5:17  And Naaman said, Well then, if not, let there be given to your servant the load of a yoke of mules; and you shall give me of the red earth; for your servant will no longer offer whole burnt offerings or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord by reason of this thing.

5:18  And let the Lord be propitious to your servant when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he shall lean on my hand, and I shall bow down in the house of Rimmon, when he bows down in the house of Rimmon; even let the Lord be merciful to your servant in this matter.

5:19  And Elisha said to Naaman, Go in peace. And he departed from him a little way.

5:20  And Gehazi the servant of Elisha said, Behold, my Lord has spared this Syrian Naaman, so as not to take of his hand what he has brought; as the Lord lives, I will surely run after him, and take something from him.

5:21  So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And Naaman saw him running after him, and turned back from his chariot to meet him.

5:22  And Gehazi said, All is well: my master has sent me, saying, Behold, now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from Mount Ephraim; please give them a talent of silver, and two changes of clothes.

5:23  And Naaman said, Take two talents of silver. And he took two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of clothing, and put them upon two of his servants, and they bore them before him.

5:24  And he came to a secret place, and took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and dismissed the men.

5:25  And he went in himself and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him,

5:26  From where have you come, Gehazi? And Gehazi said, Your servant has not been anywhere. And Elisha said to him, Did not my heart go with you, when the man returned from his chariot to meet you? And now you have received silver, and now you have received clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants, and maidservants.

5:27  The leprosy also of Naaman shall cleave to you, and to your seed forever. And he went out from his presence leprous, like snow.