Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

A psalm by the descendants of Korah. A song.

The Holy City for All People

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.

Controversy about the Law

15 Then some men came down from Judea and started to teach the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the Law of Moses, you can’t be saved.” ² Paul and Barnabas had quite a dispute and argument with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elders about this question. ³ They were sent on their way by the church, and as they were going through Phoenicia and Samaria they told of the conversion of the gentiles and brought great joy to all the brothers. ⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done through them. ⁵ But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The gentiles^[a] must be circumcised and ordered to keep the Law of Moses.”

⁶ So the apostles and the elders met to look into this claim. ⁷ After a lengthy debate, Peter stood up and told them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days, God chose me to be the one among you through whom the gentiles would hear the message of the gospel and believe. ⁸ God, who knows everyone’s heart, showed them he approved by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between them and us, because of their faith-cleansed hearts. ¹⁰ So why do you test God by putting on the disciples’ neck a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we could carry? ¹¹ We certainly believe that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,^[b] that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole crowd was silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul tell about all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the gentiles. ¹³ After Paul and Barnabas^[c] had finished speaking, James responded, “Brothers, listen to me: ¹⁴ Simeon^[d] has explained how God first showed his concern for the gentiles by taking from among them a people for his name. ¹⁵ This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

¹⁹ “Therefore, I have decided that we should not trouble these gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead, we should write to them to keep away from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from anything strangled,^[g] and from blood.^{[h] 21} After all, Moses has had people to proclaim him in every city for generations, and on every Sabbath his books are^[i] read aloud in the synagogues.”