Second Kings Chapter 5 1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and exalted man with his master, because the Lord had given deliverance to Syria by him. He was also a mighty man, but a leper.2 The Syrians had gone out by companies, and captured a little girl out of the land of Israel. And she waited on Naaman's wife.3 She said to her mistress, I wish my lord were with the prophet in Samaria. For he would recover him from his leprosy.4 Naaman went in and told his lord, The girl from the land of Israel spoke this and that.5 The king of Syria said, Go in and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver and 6,000 of gold and ten changes of clothing.6 He came in with the letter to the king of Israel saying, Now when this letter has come to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you. And you will recover him of his leprosy.7 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 recover a man from his leprosy? For consider now, and see, for he is coiling himself toward me.8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king saying, Why have you torn your clothes? Let him now come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.9 Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.10 Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and your flesh will come to you, and you will be clean.11 But Naaman was angry, and went away. And he said, Behold, I said within myself, 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 Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? May I not wash in them, and be clean? And he turned and went away in a rage.13 His servants came near and spoke to him and said, my father, if the prophet had told you to do a great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather then, when he says to you, Wash and be clean?14 He went down and dipped seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God. And his flesh came again like the flesh of a little boy, and he was clean.15 He returned to the man of God, he and all his company. And he 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 please take a blessing from your servant.16 But he said, As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it, but he refused.17 Naaman said, Shall there not then I ask you, be given to your servant two mule loads of earth? From now on your servant shall offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to the Lord.18 In this may the Lord pardon your servant, that when my master goes to the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he is supported by my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon. When I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this.19 He said to him, Go in peace. And he went away from him a little way.20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master has spared Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hand what he brought. But, as the Lord lives, I will run after him and take something from him.21 Gehazi followed after Naaman. And Naaman saw him running after him, and descended down from the chariot to meet him. And he said, Is all well?22 He said, All is well. My master has sent me saying, Behold, this now, two young men from mount Ephraim of the sons of the prophets have come to me. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.23 Naaman said, Be content. Take two talents. He urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothing. He laid them on two of his servants and they carried them before him.24 He came to the hill and took from their hand and stowed them in the house. Then he let the men go and they departed.25 Then he stood before his master and Elisha said to him, Where are you from, Gehazi? He said, Your servant did not go here or there.26 He said to him, Did my heart not go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to receive silver and clothing and olive yards, vineyards, sheep, oxen, men servants, and maid servants?27 The leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and to your descendants forever. Then he left from his presence as leprous as snow.
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