2 Kings 5:1-19
New American Standard Bible
Naaman Is Healed
5 Now (A)Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man [a]in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. 2 Now the Arameans had gone out (B)in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she [b]waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were [c]with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 And [d]Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” 5 Then the king of Aram said, “Go [e]now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and (C)took with him ten [f]talents of silver, six thousand [g]shekels of gold, and ten (D)changes of clothes.
6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, [h]which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 But when the king of Israel read the letter, (E)he tore his clothes and said, “(F)Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But (G)consider now, and see how he is seeking [i]a quarrel against me.”
8 Now it happened, when Elisha (H)the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “(I)Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.” 11 But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I [j]thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the [k]leprosy.’ 12 Are [l]Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and (J)went away in a rage. 13 (K)Then his servants approached and spoke to him, [m]saying, “(L)My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and (M)his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and (N)he was clean.
Gehazi’s Greed
15 Then he returned to the man of God [n]with all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold now, (O)I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel; so please (P)accept a [o]gift from your servant now.” 16 But he said, “(Q)As surely as the Lord lives, before whom I stand, (R)I will accept nothing.” And he urged him to accept it, but he refused. 17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of (S)earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord. 18 Regarding this matter may the Lord forgive your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and (T)he leans on my hand and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord please forgive your servant in this matter.” 19 He said to him, “(U)Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 2 Kings 5:1 Lit before
- 2 Kings 5:2 Lit was before
- 2 Kings 5:3 Lit before
- 2 Kings 5:4 Lit he
- 2 Kings 5:5 Lit enter
- 2 Kings 5:5 A talent was about 75 lb. or 34 kg
- 2 Kings 5:5 A shekel was about 0.5 oz. or 14 gm
- 2 Kings 5:6 Lit saying
- 2 Kings 5:7 Lit an opportunity
- 2 Kings 5:11 Lit said
- 2 Kings 5:11 Lit one with leprosy
- 2 Kings 5:12 Another reading is Amanah
- 2 Kings 5:13 Lit and said
- 2 Kings 5:15 Lit he and
- 2 Kings 5:15 Lit blessing
2 Kings 5:1-19
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.
Read full chapterNew American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
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.
