2 Kings 5

1 Naaman, the commander of the army of Aram, was a great man before his master and held in high honor, because through him the Lord had given rescue to Aram. The man was mighty in strength, and he had leprosy. [a] 2 And raiding bands went out from Aram and carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she waited on Naaman’s wife. 3 And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were before the prophet of God who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” [c] 4 And she went in and told her master, “This and this is what the girl from the land of Israel said.”

5 And the king of Aram said to Naaman, “Come now, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, and he took with him 750 pounds of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold — about 150 pounds of it — and ten changes of clothing. [d] 6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it said, “Now, when this letter comes to you — see, I have sent to you Naaman my slave, and you are to cure him of his leprosy.”

7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only know and see that he is looking for a quarrel with me.” 8 And when Elisha heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king of Israel: “Why have you torn your clothes? Let Naaman come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

9 So Naaman came with horse and chariot and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger out to him, saying, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will come back to you, and you will be clean.” [e] 11 And Naaman was angry, and he went off and said, “Look, I said to myself that he would surely come out to me and stand there and call on the name of his God and lay his hand on the place and cure the leprous spot. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than the Jordan and all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” And he turned and went off in a rage. [f]

13 But his servants came near and spoke to him: “The prophet has spoken a great thing to you. Will you not do it? And all he has said to you is, ‘Wash and be clean.’” 14 So Naaman went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, as Elisha had said. And his flesh came back to him like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. †

15 And he went back to Elisha, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. And now take a blessing from your slave.” [g] 16 And Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not take it.” And Naaman pressed him to take it, and he would not. [h]

17 And Naaman said, “If not, then let your slave be given the load of a pair of mules — you will give me some of the red earth — for your slave will no longer make a whole burnt offering or a sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord. [i] 18 And may the Lord forgive your slave in this: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there, and he leans on my hand, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon while he is bowing down there — may the Lord forgive your slave in this matter.” [j] 19 And Elisha said to Naaman, “Go in peace.” And he went from him a stretch of ground. [k]

20 And Gehazi, Elisha’s servant, said, “Look, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, taking nothing from his hand of what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So Gehazi went after Naaman. And Naaman saw him running after him and turned back from his chariot to meet him. 22 And he said, “It is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘Two young men have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets. Give them, please, 75 pounds of silver and two changes of clothing.’” 23 And Naaman said, “Take 150 pounds of silver.” And he took it in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and gave them to two of his own servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 And they came to the dark place, and he took them from their hands and put them away in the house, and sent the men off.

25 Then he himself went in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you come from, Gehazi?” And Gehazi said, “Your slave has not gone anywhere.” [l] 26 And Elisha said to him, “Did my heart not go with you when the man turned back from his chariot to meet you? And now you have taken the silver, and now you have taken the clothes — and with it you will get gardens and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and menservants and maidservants. [m] 27 And Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence with leprosy, white as snow.