Chapter 5 Now Naaman, 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, 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 Naaman's wife, 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.
And one went in and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that
is of the land of Israel.
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.
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is
come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee,
that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
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.
And it was so, when Elisha 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.
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the
house of Elisha.
And Elisha 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.
But Naaman was wrath, 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.
Are not Abana and Farpar 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.
And his servants came near and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet
had bid thee do some great thing, wouldst thou not have done it?
How much rather, then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean.
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.
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.
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.
And Naaman 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.
In this thing the Lord pardoned thy servant, that when my master goeth into
the house of Rimeh to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow
myself in the house of Rimeh, when I bow down myself in the house of Rimeh,
the Lord pardoned thy servant in this thing.
And he said unto him, Go in peace.
So he departed from him a little way.
But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of God, said, Behold, my master
hath spared Naaman 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.
So Gehazi followed after Naaman.
And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet
him, and said, Is all well?
And he said, All is well.
My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be come to me from
Mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets.
Give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
And Naaman 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.
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.
But he went in, and stood before his master.
And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi?
And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from
his chariot to meet thee?
Is it at time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards,
and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants?
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for
ever.
And he went out from his presence a leper, as white as snow.