Kings IV 5

1 Now Naiman, the captain of the host of Syria, was a great man before his master, and highly respected, because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria, and the man was mighty in strength, [but] a leper.

Naaman, the king of Aram's army commander was considered a great man by his master and highly respected, for through him the Lord had made the Arameans victorious. He was a mighty warrior, but he was a leper.

2 And the Syrians went forth in small bands, and took captive out of the land of Israel a little maid: and she waited on Naiman's wife.

Some Arameans had gone on a raid and had captured a young girl from the land of Israel. She had been made a servant to Naaman's wife.

3 And she said to her mistress, O that my lord were before the prophet of God in Samaria; then he would recover him from his leprosy.

She told her mistress, “If only my master would go and see the prophet who lives in Samaria. I'm sure he could cure him of his leprosy.”

4 And she went in and told her lord, and said, Thus and thus spoke the maid from the land of Israel.

Naaman went to his master and explained what the Israelite girl had said.

5 And the king of Syria said to Naiman, Go to, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he went, and took in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.

“You can go,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left. He took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now then, as soon as this letter shall reach you, behold, I have sent to you my servant Naiman, and you shall recover him from his leprosy.

The letter he took to the king of Israel read: “This letter accompanies my servant Naaman, sent to you so you can heal him of his leprosy.”

7 And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, [that] he tore his garments, and said, [Am] I God, to kill and to make alive, that this [man] sends to me to recover a man of his leprosy? consider, however, I pray you, and see that this [man] seeks an occasion against me.

When the king of Israel read the letter, he ripped his clothes in panic and said, “Does this man think I'm God, having power over life and death, sending me a leper to heal? Obviously he's just trying to invent an excuse to attack me, as anyone can see!”

8 And it came to pass, when Elisaie heard that the king of Israel had tore his garments, that he sent to the king of Israel, saying, Therefore have you tore your garments? Let Naiman, I pray you, come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had ripped his clothes in panic, he sent a message to the king, saying: “What did you rip your clothes for? Please send the man to me, so he will be convinced there is a prophet in Israel.”

9 So Naiman came with horse and chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisaie.

So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood waiting at the door of Elisha's house.

10 And Elisaie sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash seven times in Jordan, and your flesh shall return to you, and you shall be cleansed.

Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan. Then your body will be healed, and you will be clean.”

11 And Naiman was angry, and departed, and said, Behold, I said, He will by all means come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of his God, and lay his hand upon the place, and recover the leper.

But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I expected he would at least come out, stand there and invoke the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over where my leprosy is and heal it.

12 [Are] not the Abana and Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not go and wash in them, and be cleansed? and he turned and went away in a rage.

Aren't the rivers of Damascus, Abanah and Pharpar, better than any of these streams of Israel? Couldn't I have washed in them and been healed?” So he turned around and went off in a rage.

13 And his servants came near and said to him, [Suppose] the prophet had spoken a great thing to you, would you not perform it? yet he has but said to you, Wash, and be cleansed.

But Naaman's officials went to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you that you had to do something extraordinary, wouldn't you have done it? How much easier is it to do what he says, ‘Wash and you'll be healed’?”

14 So Naiman went down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the word of Elisaie: and his flesh returned to him as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.

So Naaman went down and plunged himself underwater in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him. His body was healed, his skin became like a baby's, and he was clean.

15 And he and all his company returned to Elisaie, and he came and stood before him, and said, Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth, save only in Israel: and now receive a blessing of your servant.

Then Naaman and his whole entourage went back to the man of God, stood before him, and Naaman announced, “Now I'm convinced that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept a gift from me, your servant.”

16 And Elisaie said, [As] the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will not take [one]. And he pressed him to take [one]: but he would not.

But Elisha replied, “As the Lord lives, the one I serve, I will not accept anything.” Even though Naaman tried to persuade him to take the gift, he refused.

17 And Naiman said, Well then, if not, let there be given to your servant, I pray you, the load [of a] yoke of mules; and you shall give me of the red earth: for henceforth your servant will not offer whole burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord by [reason of] this thing.

So Naaman said, “If you won't, please let me, your servant, take back with me two mule loads of earth, for I will never again bring a burnt offering or make a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.

18 And let the Lord be propitious to your servant when my master goes into the house of Remman to worship there, and he shall lean on my hand, and I shall bow down in the house of Remman when he bows down in the house of Remman; even let the Lord, I pray, be merciful to your servant in this matter.

In addition, may the Lord forgive me for doing this: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and I assist him, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive me for doing so.”

19 And Elisaie said to Naiman, Go in peace. And he departed from him a little way.

“Go in peace,” said Elisha, and Naaman left. But he had only gone a short way

20 And Giezi the servant of Elisaie said, Behold, my Lord has spared this Syrian Naiman, so as not to take of his hand what he has brought: as the Lord lives, I will surely run after him, and take somewhat of him.

when Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “Just look how my master has let this Naaman the Syrian off the hook by not accepting the gifts he brought! As the Lord lives, I'll run after him and get something from him.”

21 So Giezi followed after Naiman: and Naiman saw him running after him, and turned back from his chariot to meet him.

So Gehazi chased after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running after him, he jumped down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

22 And [Giezi] said, All is well: my master has sent me, saying, Behold, now are there come to me two young men of the sons of the prophets from mount Ephraim; give them, I pray you, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.

“Everything's fine,” Gehazi replied. “My master sent me to tell you, ‘I've just found out that two young men have arrived to see me from the sons of the prophets who live the hill country of Ephraim. Please let them have a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”

23 And [Naiman] said, Take two talents of silver. And he took two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of raiment, and put them upon two of his servants, and they bore them before him.

But Naaman replied, “Please, take two talents.” He insisted that Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags as well as two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, who carried them for Gehazi.

24 And he came to a secret place, and took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and dismissed the men.

When Gehazi arrived at the hill fortress, he took the gifts from the servants and put them in the house. He told the men they could go, and they left.

25 And he went in himself and stood before his master; and Elisaie said to him,

When Gehazi got back and attended his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant hasn't been anywhere,” he replied.

26 Whence [come you], Giezi? and Giezi said, Your servant has not been hither or there. And Elisaie said to him, Went not my heart with you, when the man returned from his chariot to meet you? and now you have received silver, and now you have received raiment, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants.

But Elisha told him, “Didn't I see you in my mind's eye when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male and female servants?

27 The leprosy also of Naiman shall cleave to you, and to your seed for ever. And he went out from his presence leprous, like snow.

Consequently Naaman's leprosy will stick to you and your descendants forever!” As Gehazi left him, he had leprosy—he looked as white as snow.