< 2 Kings 5 >
1 Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable: for by him the Lord gave deliverance to Syria: and he was a valiant man and rich, but a leper.
And Na'aman, the captain of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man before his Lord, and highly honored; because by him had the Lord given victory unto Syria: and this man was valiant in war, [but] a leper.
2 Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman’s wife.
And the Syrians had gone out in predatory troops, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she waited on Na'aman's wife.
3 And she said to her mistress: I wish my master had been with the prophet, that is in Samaria: he would certainly have healed him of the leprosy which he hath.
And she said unto her mistress, Oh that my Lord were but before the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he heal him of his leprosy.
4 Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying: Thus and thus said tile girl from the land of Israel.
And he went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus hath spoken the maiden that is from the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Syria sad to him: Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and tell changes of raiment,
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 garments.
6 And brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: When thou shalt receive this letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, And now when this letter cometh unto thee, behold, I have sent to thee Na'aman my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments, and said: Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man hath sent to me, to heal a man of his leprosy? mark, and see how he seeketh occasions against me.
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this one doth send unto me to heal a man of his leprosy? for know to a certainty, I pray you, and see that he but seeketh a quarrel against me.
8 And when Eliseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.
And it happened, when Elisha' the man of God 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 but come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 So Naaman came with Iris horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus:
And Na'aman came with his horses and with his chariot, and remained at the door of the house of Elisha'.
10 And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thee shalt be clean.
And Elisha' sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall be restored [healthy] to thee, and thou shalt become clean.
11 Naaman was angry and went away, saying: I thought he would hare come out to me, and standing would hare invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me.
But Na'aman became wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I had thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and swing his hand over the place, and heal the leper.
12 Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation,
Are not Amanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not bathe in them, and become clean? and he turned and went away in a rage.
13 His servants came to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt he clean?
And his servants came near, and spoke unto him, and they said, My father, if the prophet had bidden thee a great thing, wouldst thou not do it? how much rather then, when he hath said to thee, Bathe, and become clean?
14 Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times: according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child, and he was made clean.
Then went he down, and dived seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God: and his flesh was restored [healthy] like the flesh of a little boy, and he became clean.
15 And returning to the man of God with all his train, be came, and stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel: I beseech thee therefore take a blessing of thy servant.
And he returned to the man of God, he with all his camp, and came and stood before him, and said, Behold, now I know that there is no god on all the earth, but in Israel; and now, I pray thee, take a present from thy servant.
16 But he answered: As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And when he pressed him, he still refused.
But he said, As the Lord liveth before whom I have stood, I will take none: and he urged him to take it; but he refused.
17 And Naaman said: As thou wilt: but I beseech thee, grant to me thy servant, to take from hence two mules’ burden of earth: for thy servant will not henceforth offer holocaust, or victim, to other gods, but to the Lord.
And Na'aman said, If [thou wilt] not, [then] let there be given, I pray thee, unto thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will not offer henceforth either burnt-offering or peace-sacrifice unto other gods, except unto the Lord.
18 But there is only this, for which thou shalt entreat the Lord for thy servant, when my master goeth into the temple of Remmon, to worship: and he leaneth upon my hand, if I bow down in the temple of Remmon, when he boweth down in the same place, that the Lord pardon me thy servant for this thing.
For this thing may the Lord pardon thy servant, that when my Lord goeth into the house of Rimmon to prostrate himself there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I prostrate myself also in the house of Rimmon: when I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon thy servant for this thing.
19 And he said to him: Go in peace. So he departed from him in the springtime of the earth.
And he said unto him, Go in peace: so he departed from him some distance.
20 But Giezi the servant of the man of God said: My master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving of him that which he brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take some thing of him:
But Gechazi, the servant of Elisha' the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Na'aman, this Syrian, in not receiving from his hand what he had brought; but, as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take some little thing from him.
21 And Giezi followed after Naaman: and when he saw him running after him, he leapt down from his chariot to meet him, and said: Is all well?
So Gechazi hurried after Na'aman; and when Na'aman saw him running after him, he lighted doom from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is [all] well?
22 And he said: Well: my master hath sent me to thee, saying: Just now there are come to me from mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
And he said, [all] is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the mountain of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: do give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23 And Naaman said: It is better that thou take two talents. And he forced him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried them before him.
And Na'aman said, Give thy assent, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and he gave them unto his two young men, and they carried them before him.
24 And when he was come, and now it was the evening, he took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and sent the men away, and they departed.
And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house: and he dismissed the men, and they departed.
25 But he went in, and stood before his master. And Eliseus said: Whence comest thou, Giezi? He answered: Thy servant went no whither.
But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha' said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gechazi? And he said, Thy servant went not hither or thither.
26 But he said: Was not my heart present, when the man turned back from his chariot to meet thee? So now thou hast received money, and received garments, to buy oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants.
And he said unto him, My mind was not gone, when the man turned round from his chariot to meet thee. Is it a time to take money, and to take garments, and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and men-servants, and maid-servants?
27 But the leprosy of Naaman shall also stick to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And he went out from him a leper as white as snow.
May then the leprosy of Na'aman cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper [as white] as snow.