19 He said to him, “(A)Go in peace.” So he went some distance from him.

20 But (B)Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, [a]thought, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, [b]by not accepting from his hand what he brought. (C)As the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” 21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is everything well?” 22 And he said, “(D)Everything is well. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from (E)the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and (F)two changes of clothes.’” 23 Naaman said, “(G)Be sure to take two talents.” And he urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants; and they carried them before him. 24 When he came to the [c]hill, he took them from their hand and (H)deposited them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25 But he went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “(I)Your servant went nowhere.”

26 Then he said to him, “Did my heart not go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? (J)Is it a time to accept money and to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, oxen, and male and female slaves? 27 Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your [d]descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence (K)afflicted with leprosy, as white as snow.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 5:20 Lit said
  2. 2 Kings 5:20 Lit from
  3. 2 Kings 5:24 Lit Ophel
  4. 2 Kings 5:27 Lit seed

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

Gehazi’s Greed Punished

After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, 20 Gehazi,(B) 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,(C) 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.(D) 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[a] of silver and two sets of clothing.’”(E)

23 But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.”[b] 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,[c](F) 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[d](G) 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.[e](H)

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Footnotes

  1. 5:22 Lit a talent
  2. 5:23 Lit two talents
  3. 5:24 Or citadel
  4. 5:26 Or “Did not my heart go
  5. 5:27 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin