2 Kings 5
The Cure of Naaman's
Leprosy |
1 |
Now Na'aman, captain of the host of the
king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable,
because by him the LORD had given deliverance
unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valor, but he was a
leper.
|
2 |
And the Syrians had gone out by
companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a
little maid; and she waited on Na'aman's wife.
|
3 |
And she said unto her mistress, Would God
my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for
he would recover him of his leprosy.
|
4 |
And one went in, and told his
lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land
of Israel.
|
5 |
And the king of Syria said, Go to, go,
and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel.
And he
departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
|
6 |
And he brought the letter to the king of
Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I
have therewith sent Na'aman my servant to thee, that thou
mayest recover him of his leprosy.
|
7 |
And it came to pass, when the king of
Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send
unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? Wherefore consider, I pray
you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
|
8 |
And it was so, when Eli'sha the
man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes,
that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy
clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a
prophet in Israel.
|
9 |
So Na'aman came with his horses and with
his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of
Eli'sha.
|
10 |
And Eli'sha sent a messenger unto him,
saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come
again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
|
11 |
But Na'aman was wroth, and went away, and
said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand,
and call on the name of the LORD his God, and
strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
|
12 |
Are not Aba'na and Pharpar, rivers
of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in
them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
|
13 |
And his servants came near, and spake
unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some 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 dipped 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. Lk. 4.27
|
15 |
And he returned to the man of God, he
and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said,
Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but
in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy
servant.
|
16 |
But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none.
And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
|
17 |
And Na'aman said, Shall there not then, I
pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for
thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor
sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
|
18 |
In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master
goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on
my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon: when I bow down
myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon
thy servant in this thing.
|
19 |
And he said unto him, Go in peace.
So he departed from him a little way.
|
20 |
But Geha'zi, the servant of Eli'sha the
man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Na'aman this Syrian,
in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take
somewhat of him.
|
21 |
So Geha'zi followed after Na'aman. And
when Na'aman saw him running after him, he lighted down from
the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
|
22 |
And he said, All is well. My
master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me
from mount E'phra-im two young men of the sons of the prophets: give
them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of
garments.
|
23 |
And Na'aman said, Be content, take two
talents. And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two
bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of
his servants; and they bare them before him.
|
24 |
And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house:
and he let the men go, and they departed.
|
25 |
But he went in, and stood before his
master. And Eli'sha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Geha'zi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
|
26 |
And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet
thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments,
and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants,
and maidservants?
|
27 |
The leprosy therefore of Na'aman shall
cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from
his presence a leper as white as
snow.
|
|