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2 Kings 5
Christian Standard Bible

Naaman’s Disease Healed

5 Naaman,(A) commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded(B) because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.(C)

2 Aram had gone on raids(D) and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

4 So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

So he went and took with him 750 pounds[a] of silver, 150 pounds[b] of gold, and ten sets of clothing.(E) 6 He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:

When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes(F) and asked, “Am I God,(G) killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize[c] that he is only picking a fight with me.”(H)

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”(I) 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

10 Then Elisha sent him a messenger,(J) who said, “Go wash(K) seven times(L) in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”

11 But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand(M) over the place and cure the skin disease. 12 Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?(N) Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.(O)

13 But his servants approached and said to him, “My father,(P) if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” 14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.(Q)

15 Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.(R) Therefore, please accept a gift(S) from your servant.”

16 But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives,(T) in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.”(U) Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

17 Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry,(V) for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.(W) 18 However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm,[d](X) and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow[e] in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”

19 So he said to him, “Go in peace.”(Y)

Gehazi’s Greed Punished

After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, 20 Gehazi,(Z) the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives,(AA) I will run after him and get something from him.”

21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

22 Gehazi said, “It’s all right.(AB) My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds[f] of silver and two sets of clothing.’”(AC)

23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.”[g] He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his attendants who carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill,[h](AD) he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.

25 Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.

He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”

26 “And my heart didn’t go[i](AE) when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves? 27 Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.[j](AF)

Footnotes

  1. 5:5 Lit 10 talents
  2. 5:5 Lit 6,000 shekels
  3. 5:7 Lit Know and see
  4. 5:18 Lit worship, and he leans on my hand
  5. 5:18 LXX, Vg read when he bows himself
  6. 5:22 Lit a talent
  7. 5:23 Lit two talents
  8. 5:24 Or citadel
  9. 5:26 Or “Did not my heart go
  10. 5:27 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin
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2 Kings 5
International Standard Version

The Healing of Naaman

5 Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram,[a] was a great man in the opinion[b] of his master. He was highly favored, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. Though he was a mighty and valiant man, he was suffering from leprosy. 2 On one of their raids to the territory of Israel, Aram had taken captive a young girl when she was an infant,[c] who had eventually become an attendant to[d] Naaman’s wife. 3 She mentioned to her mistress, “If only my master were to visit the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

4 Later, Naaman[e] went to inform his master and told him something like this: “Thus and so spoke the young woman from the territory of Israel.”

5 The king of Aram replied, “Go now, and I’ll send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he left and took with him ten talents[f] of silver and 6,000 units[g] of gold, along with ten sets[h] of clothing. 6 He also brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read as follows: “…and now as this letter finds its way to you, look! I’ve sent my servant Naaman to you so you may heal him of his leprosy.”

7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he ripped his clothes and cried out, “Am I God? Can I kill and give life? Is this man sending me a request[i] to heal a man’s leprosy? Let’s think about this—he’s looking for a reason to start a fight[j] with me!”

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message[k] to the king and asked, “Why did you tear your clothes? Please, let the man come visit me and he will learn that there is a prophet in Israel!”

9 So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood in front of the door to Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger out to him, who told him, “Go bathe in the Jordan River[l] seven times. Your flesh will be restored for you. Now stay clean!”

11 But Naaman flew into a rage and left, telling himself, “Look! I thought ‘He’s surely going to come out to me, stand still, call out in the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the infection,[m] and cure the leprosy!’ 12 Aren’t the Abana and Pharpar rivers in Damascus better than all of the water in Israel? Couldn’t I just bathe in them and become clean?” So he turned away and left, filled with anger.

13 But then his servants approached him and spoke with him. They said, “My father, had the prophet only asked of you something great, you would have done it, wouldn’t you? Yet he told you, ‘Bathe, and be clean…!’” 14 So he went down and plunged himself into the Jordan River[n] seven times, just as the man of God had said, and his flesh rejuvenated like the flesh of a newborn child. And he was clean.

Gehazi’s Greed is Punished

15 Naaman[o] went back to the man of God, along with his entire entourage, and stood before him. “Please look!” he said. “I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel! So please, take a present from your servant.”

16 But Elisha[p] replied, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not receive anything from you.” Though Naaman[q] urged him to take it, Elisha[r] declined.

17 So Naaman asked, “No? Then please let your servant load two mules with dirt from Israel,[s] because your servant will no longer offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other god but the Lord. 18 In this one area may the Lord pardon your servant: Whenever my master enters the temple of Rimmon to worship there, he will lean on my hand while I bow down in the temple of Rimmon. So may the Lord pardon your servant in this one area.”

19 “Go in peace,” he said. So Naaman[t] left.

After Naaman had gone only a short distance, 20 Gehazi, the attendant to Elisha, the man of God, told himself, “Look how my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman! He declined to take from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, I’m going to run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi ran after Naaman.

When Naaman noticed someone running after him, he came down from his chariot, greeted him and asked, “Is everything all right?”[u]

22 Gehazi said, “Everything’s all right. My master sent me to tell you, ‘Just now two men from the Guild of Prophets have arrived from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them each a talent[v] of silver bullion and two sets[w] of clothes.’”

23 But Naaman said, “Please accept my invitation to take two talents[x] of silver.” He urged him, binding two talents[y] of silver in two bags, along with two sets of clothes. He placed them in the care of two of his young men, and they went on ahead of Gehazi.[z] 24 When he arrived at the stronghold, Gehazi[aa] took the bags from their custody and hid them away in the house. Then he sent the men away and they left.

25 Later he went to address[ab] his master. Elisha asked him, “Where did you go, Gehazi?”

“Your servant went nowhere in particular,” he said.

26 But Elisha[ac] responded, “Didn’t my heart break[ad] as the man was turning from his chariot to greet you? Is now the time to receive money? To receive clothes? And olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, servants, or female attendants? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will plague you and your descendants forever!” As he left Elisha’s presence, he was infected with leprosy that looked like white snow.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 5:1 I.e., ancient Assyria, and so throughout the book
  2. 2 Kings 5:1 Lit. eyes
  3. 2 Kings 5:2 Or young little girl; cf. v. 14; i.e., a young girl of small size
  4. 2 Kings 5:2 Lit. girl, and she was in the presence of
  5. 2 Kings 5:4 Lit. he
  6. 2 Kings 5:5 I.e. about 750 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  7. 2 Kings 5:5 The unit of weight is unspecified.
  8. 2 Kings 5:5 So MT; LXX reads changes
  9. 2 Kings 5:7 The Heb. lacks a request
  10. 2 Kings 5:7 The Heb. lacks to start a fight
  11. 2 Kings 5:8 The Heb. lacks a message
  12. 2 Kings 5:10 The Heb. lacks River
  13. 2 Kings 5:11 Lit. place
  14. 2 Kings 5:14 The Heb. lacks River
  15. 2 Kings 5:15 Lit. He
  16. 2 Kings 5:16 Lit. he
  17. 2 Kings 5:16 Lit. he
  18. 2 Kings 5:16 Lit. he
  19. 2 Kings 5:17 The Heb. lacks from Israel
  20. 2 Kings 5:19 Lit. he
  21. 2 Kings 5:21 Lit. Peace; i.e. a general statement of good will; and so through v. 26
  22. 2 Kings 5:22 I.e. about 75 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  23. 2 Kings 5:22 So MT; LXX reads changes
  24. 2 Kings 5:23 The Heb. is dual; i.e. about 150 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  25. 2 Kings 5:23 The Heb. is dual; i.e. about 150 pounds; a talent weighed about 75 pounds
  26. 2 Kings 5:23 Lit. him
  27. 2 Kings 5:24 Lit. he
  28. 2 Kings 5:25 Or to stand before
  29. 2 Kings 5:26 Lit. he
  30. 2 Kings 5:26 Lit. go
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2 Kings 4
2 Kings 6
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