2 Kings 5
New Living Translation
The Healing of Naaman
5 The king of Aram had great admiration for Naaman, the commander of his army, because through him the Lord had given Aram great victories. But though Naaman was a mighty warrior, he suffered from leprosy.[a]
2 At this time Aramean raiders had invaded the land of Israel, and among their captives was a young girl who had been given to Naaman’s wife as a maid. 3 One day the girl said to her mistress, “I wish my master would go to see the prophet in Samaria. He would heal him of his leprosy.”
4 So Naaman told the king what the young girl from Israel had said. 5 “Go and visit the prophet,” the king of Aram told him. “I will send a letter of introduction for you to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman started out, carrying as gifts 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold,[b] and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and said, “Am I God, that I can give life and take it away? Why is this man asking me to heal someone with leprosy? I can see that he’s just trying to pick a fight with me.”
8 But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes in dismay, he sent this message to him: “Why are you so upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will learn that there is a true prophet here in Israel.”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and waited at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 But Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this message: “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River. Then your skin will be restored, and you will be healed of your leprosy.”
11 But Naaman became angry and stalked away. “I thought he would certainly come out to meet me!” he said. “I expected him to wave his hand over the leprosy and call on the name of the Lord his God and heal me! 12 Aren’t the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Pharpar, better than any of the rivers of Israel? Why shouldn’t I wash in them and be healed?” So Naaman turned and went away in a rage.
13 But his officers tried to reason with him and said, “Sir,[c] if the prophet had told you to do something very difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So you should certainly obey him when he says simply, ‘Go and wash and be cured!’” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and dipped himself seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. And his skin became as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he was healed!
15 Then Naaman and his entire party went back to find the man of God. They stood before him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.” And though Naaman urged him to take the gift, Elisha refused.
17 Then Naaman said, “All right, but please allow me to load two of my mules with earth from this place, and I will take it back home with me. From now on I will never again offer burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord. 18 However, may the Lord pardon me in this one thing: When my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord pardon me when I bow, too.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman started home again.
The Greed of Gehazi
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said to himself, “My master should not have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as the Lord lives, I will chase after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi set off after Naaman.
When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he climbed down from his chariot and went to meet him. “Is everything all right?” Naaman asked.
22 “Yes,” Gehazi said, “but my master has sent me to tell you that two young prophets from the hill country of Ephraim have just arrived. He would like 75 pounds[d] of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them.”
23 “By all means, take twice as much[e] silver,” Naaman insisted. He gave him two sets of clothing, tied up the money in two bags, and sent two of his servants to carry the gifts for Gehazi. 24 But when they arrived at the citadel,[f] Gehazi took the gifts from the servants and sent the men back. Then he went and hid the gifts inside the house.
25 When he went in to his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“I haven’t been anywhere,” he replied.
26 But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants? 27 Because you have done this, you and your descendants will suffer from Naaman’s leprosy forever.” When Gehazi left the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin was white as snow.
Footnotes
- 5:1 Or from a contagious skin disease. The Hebrew word used here and throughout this passage can describe various skin diseases.
- 5:5 Hebrew 10 talents [340 kilograms] of silver, 6,000 [shekels] [68 kilograms] of gold.
- 5:13 Hebrew My father.
- 5:22 Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms].
- 5:23 Hebrew take 2 talents [150 pounds or 68 kilograms].
- 5:24 Hebrew the Ophel.
2 Kings 5
1599 Geneva Bible
5 1 Naaman the Syrian is healed of his leprosy. 16 Elisha refuseth his gifts. 27 Gehazi is stricken with leprosy, because he took money and raiment of Naaman.
1 Now was there one Naaman captain of the host of the King of Aram, a great man, and honorable in the sight of his lord, because that by him the Lord had [a]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 of the land of Israel, and she [b]served Naaman’s wife.
3 And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the [c]Prophet that is in Samaria, he would soon deliver him of his leprosy.
4 And [d]he went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus saith the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Aram said, Go thy way thither, and I will send a letter unto the King of Israel. And he departed, and [e]took [f]with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiments,
6 And brought the letter to the king of Israel to this effect, Now when this letter is come unto thee, understand, that I have sent thee Naaman my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God to kill and to give life that he doth send to me, that I should heal a man from his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 But when Elisha the man of God had heard that the King of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent unto the King, saying, [g]Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? Let him come now to me, 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 unto him, saying, Go and wash thee in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 But Naaman was [h]wroth and went away, and said, Behold, I thought with 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 me in them, and be cleansed? so he turned, and departed in displeasure.
13 But his servants came, and spake unto him, and said, [i]Father, if the Prophet had commanded thee a great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14 Then went he down, and (A)washed himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again, like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
15 ¶ And he turned again 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, I pray thee, take a [j]reward of thy servant.
16 But he said, As the Lord liveth (before whom I stand) I will not receive it. And he would have constrained him to receive it, [k]but he refused.
17 Moreover Naaman said, Shall there not be given to thy servant two mules’ load of this earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt sacrifice nor offering unto any other god, save unto the Lord.
18 Herein the Lord be [l]merciful unto thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon, to worship there, and leaneth on mine hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I do bow down, I say, in the house of Rimmon, the Lord be merciful unto thy servant in this point.
19 Unto whom he said, [m]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 hath spared this Aramite Naaman, receiving not those things at his hand that he brought: As the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
21 So Gehazi followed speedily after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, [n]he lighted down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
22 And he answered, All is well: my master hath set me, saying, Behold, there be come to me, even now from mount Ephraim two young men of the children of the Prophets: give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said, Yea, take two talents: and he compelled him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and gave them unto two of his servants, that they might bear them before him.
24 And when he came to the [o]tower, he took them out of their hands, and laid them in the house, and sent away the men: and [p]they departed.
25 ¶ Then he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
26 But he said unto him, [q]Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is this a time to take money, and to receive garments, [r]and olives, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants?
27 The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and to thy [s]seed forever. And he went out from his presence a leper white as snow.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 5:1 Here appeareth that among the infidels God hath his, and also that the infidels have them in estimation which do good to their country.
- 2 Kings 5:2 Hebrew, she was before.
- 2 Kings 5:3 Meaning, Elisha.
- 2 Kings 5:4 That is, Naaman told it to the king of Syria.
- 2 Kings 5:5 To give this as a present to the Prophet.
- 2 Kings 5:5 Hebrew, in his hand.
- 2 Kings 5:8 The Prophet rebuketh the king because he did not consider that God was true in his promise, and therefore would not leave his Church destitute of a Prophet, whose prayers he would hear, and to whom others should have recourse for comfort.
- 2 Kings 5:11 Man’s reason murmureth, when it considereth only the signs and outward things, and hath not regard to the word of God, which is there contained.
- 2 Kings 5:13 This declareth that servants ought to reverence and love their masters as children their fathers, and likewise masters toward their servants, must be affectioned as toward their children.
- 2 Kings 5:15 Hebrew, blessing.
- 2 Kings 5:16 So the Lord commandeth that they that receive freely, should give also freely.
- 2 Kings 5:18 He feeleth his conscience wounded in being present at idol’s service, and therefore desireth God to forgive him, lest others by his example might fall to idolatry: for as for his own part he confesseth that he will never serve any but the true God.
- 2 Kings 5:19 The Prophet did not approve his act, but after the common manner of speech he biddeth him farewell.
- 2 Kings 5:21 Declaring thereby, what honor and affection he bare to the Prophet his master.
- 2 Kings 5:24 Or, fortress, or secret place.
- 2 Kings 5:24 Naaman’s servants.
- 2 Kings 5:26 Was I not present with thee in spirit?
- 2 Kings 5:26 That is, money to buy possessions with: meaning, that it is detestable in the servants of God to have covetous minds.
- 2 Kings 5:27 To be an example to all such, as by whose covetousness God’s word might be slandered.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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