Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

5 Na‘aman, commander of the king of Aram’s army, was highly respected and esteemed by his master; because through him Adonai had brought victory to Aram. But although he was a brave warrior, he also suffered from tzara‘at. ² Now on one of their raids into Isra’el’s territory, Aram carried away captive a little girl, who became a servant for Na‘aman’s wife. ³ She said to her mistress, “I wish my lord could go to the prophet in Shomron! He could heal his tzara‘at.” ⁴ Na‘aman went in and told his lord, “The girl from the land of Isra’el said such-and-such.” ⁵ The king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Isra’el.”

He set out, taking with him 660 pounds of silver, 6,000 pieces of gold and ten changes of clothes. ⁶ He brought the king of Isra’el the letter, which said, “When this letter reaches you, you will see that I have sent my servant Na‘aman to you, so that you can heal his tzara‘at.” ⁷ When the king of Isra’el finished reading the letter, he tore his clothes. “Am I God, able to kill and make alive,” he asked, “so that he sends me a man to heal of tzara‘at? You can see that he is only seeking an excuse to quarrel with me.” ⁸ But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Isra’el had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Isra’el.”

⁹ So Na‘aman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to him, who said, “Go, and bathe in the Yarden seven times. Your skin will become as it was, and you will be clean.” ¹¹ But Na‘aman became angry and left, saying, “Here now! I thought for certain that he would come out personally, that he would stand, call on the name of Adonai his God and wave his hand over the diseased place and thus heal the person with tzara‘at. ¹² Aren’t Amanah and Parpar, the rivers of Dammesek, better than all the water in Isra’el? Why can’t I bathe in them and be clean?” So he turned and went off in a rage. ¹³ But his servants approached him and said, “My father! If the prophet had asked you to do something really difficult, wouldn’t you have done it? So, doesn’t it make even more sense to do what he says, when it’s only, ‘Bathe, and be clean’?” ¹⁴ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Yarden, as the man of God had said to do; and his skin was restored and became like the skin of a child; and he became clean.

¹³ Therefore someone who speaks in a tongue should pray for the power to interpret. ¹⁴ For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit does pray, but my mind is unproductive. ¹⁵ So, what about it? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind. ¹⁶ Otherwise, if you are giving thanks with your spirit, how will someone who has not yet received much instruction be able to say, “Amen,” when you have finished giving thanks, since he doesn’t know what you are saying? ¹⁷ For undoubtedly you are giving thanks very nicely, but the other person is not being edified. ¹⁸ I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you, ¹⁹ but in a congregation meeting I would rather say five words with my mind in order to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue!

²⁰ Brothers, don’t be children in your thinking. In evil, be like infants; but in your thinking, be grown-up. ²¹ In the Torah it is written,

²² Thus tongues are a sign not for believers but for unbelievers, while prophecy is not for unbelievers but for believers. ²³ So if the whole congregation comes together with everybody speaking in tongues, and uninstructed people or unbelievers come in, won’t they say you’re crazy? ²⁴ But if you all prophesy, and some unbeliever or uninstructed person enters, he is convicted of sin by all, he is brought under judgment by all, ²⁵ and the secrets of his heart are laid bare; so he falls on his face and worships God, saying, “God is really here among you!”