< 2 Kings 5 >

1 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.
Naaman, prince of the chyualrye of the kyng of Syrie, was a greet man, and worschipid anentis his lord; for bi hym the Lord yaf helthe to Sirie; sotheli he was a strong man and riche, but leprouse.
2 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.
Forsothe theues yede out of Sirie, and ledden prisonere fro the lond of Israel a litil damysele, that was in the seruyce of the wijf of Naaman.
3 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.”
`Which damysele seide to hir ladi, `Y wolde, that my lord hadde be at the prophete which is in Samarie; sotheli the prophete schulde haue curid hym of the lepre which he hath.
4 Naaman went to his master and explained what the Israelite girl had said.
Therfor Naaman entride to his lord, and telde to hym, and seide, A damysel of the lond of Israel spak so and so.
5 “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.
Therfor the kyng of Syrie seide to hym, Go thou, and Y schal sende lettris to the kyng of Israel. And whanne he hadde go forth, and hadde take with hym ten talentis of siluer, and sixe thousynde goldun platis, `ether floreyns, and ten chaungyngis of clothis,
6 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.”
he brouyte lettris to the kyng of Israel bi these wordis; Whanne thou hast take this pistle, wite thou, that Y haue sent to thee Naaman, my seruaunt, that thou cure hym of his lepre.
7 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!”
And whanne the kyng of Israel hadde red the lettris, he to-rente his clothis, and seide, Whether Y am God, that may sle and quykene, for this kyng sente to me, that Y cure a man of his lepre? Perseyue ye, and se, that he sekith occasiouns ayens me.
8 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.”
And whanne Elisee, the man of God, hadde herd this, that is, that the kyng of Israel hadde to-rente hise clothis, he sente to the kyng, and seide, Whi to-rentist thou thi clothis? come he to me, and wite he, that a prophete is in Israel.
9 So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood waiting at the door of Elisha's house.
Therfor Naaman cam with horsis and charis, and stood at the dore of the hows of Elisee.
10 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.”
And Elisee sente to hym a messanger, and seide, Go thou, and be thou waischun seuensithis in Jordan; and thi fleisch shal resseyue helthe, and thou schalt be clensid.
11 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.
Naaman was wrooth, and yede awei, and seide, Y gesside, that he schulde go out to me, and that he schulde stonde, and clepe the name of `the Lord his God, and that he schulde touche with his hond the place of lepre, and schulde cure me.
12 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.
Whether Abana and Pharphar, floodis of Damask, ben not betere than alle the watris of Israel, that Y be waischun in tho, and be clensid?
13 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’?”
Therfor whanne he hadde turned hym silf, and yede awei, hauynge indignacioun, hise seruauntis neiyiden to hym, and spaken to hym, Fadir, thouy the prophete hadde seid to thee a greet thing, certis thou owist to do; hou myche more for now he seide to thee, Be thou waischun, and thou schalt be clensid.
14 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.
He yede doun, and waischide hym seuensithis in Jordan, bi the word of the man of God; and his fleisch was restored as the fleisch of a litil child, and he was clensid.
15 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.”
And he turnede ayen with al his felouschipe to the man of God, and cam, and stood bifor hym; and seide, Verili Y knowe, that noon other God is in al erthe, no but oneli God of Israel; therfor, Y biseche, that thou take blessyng of thi seruaunt.
16 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.
And he answeride, The Lord lyueth bifor whom Y stonde, for Y schal not take. And whanne he made `strengthe, that is, greet preier, Elisee assentide not outirli.
17 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.
Therfor Naaman seide, As thou wolt; but, I biseche, graunte thou to me, thi seruaunt, that Y take of `the lond the birthun of twei burdones; for thi seruaunt schal no more make brent sacrifice, ether slayn sacrifice, to alien goddis, no but to the Lord.
18 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.”
Forsothe this thing is oneli, of which thou schalt preie the Lord for thi seruaunt, whanne my lord shal entre into the temple of Remmon, that he worschipe, and while he `schal lene on myn hond, if Y worschipe in the temple of Remmon, while he worschipith in the same place, that the Lord foryyue to thi seruaunt for this thing.
19 “Go in peace,” said Elisha, and Naaman left. But he had only gone a short way
Which Elisee seide to hym, Go thou in pees. `Therfor he yede fro Elisee in a chosun tyme of the lond.
20 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.”
And Giezi, the child of the man of God, seide, My lord sparide this Naaman of Syrie, that he took not of hym that, that he brouyte; the Lord lyueth, for Y schal renne aftir hym, and Y schal take of hym sum thing.
21 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?”
And Giezi suede aftir the bak of Naaman; and whanne Naaman hadde seyn Giezi rennynge to hym, he skippide doun of the chare in to the metyng of Giezi; and seide, Whether alle thingis ben riytfuli?
22 “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.’”
And he seide, Riytfuli; my lord sente me to thee, and seide, Twey yonge men of the hille of Effraym, of the sones of prophetis, camen now to me; yyue thou to hem a talent of siluer, and double chaungyng clothis.
23 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.
And Naaman seide, It is betere that thou take twei talentis. And Naaman constreynede hym; and Naaman boond twei talentis of siluer in twei sackis, and double clothis, and puttide on his twey children, `that is, seruauntis, whiche also baren bifor Giezi.
24 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.
And whanne he hadde come thanne in the euentid, he took fro the hond of hem, and leide vp in the hows; and he delyuerede the men, and thei yeden.
25 When Gehazi got back and attended his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” “Your servant hasn't been anywhere,” he replied.
Forsothe Giezi entride, and stood bifor his lord. And Elise seide, Giezi, fro whennus comest thou? Which answeride, Thi seruaunt yede not to ony place.
26 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?
And Elise seide, Whether myn herte was not in present, whanne the man turnede ayen fro his chare in to the metyng of thee? Now therfor thou hast take siluer, and thou hast take clothis, that thou bie places of olyues, and vyneris, and scheep, and oxis, and seruauntis, and handmaydis;
27 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.
but also the lepre of Naaman schal cleue to thee, and to thi seed withouten ende. And Giezi yede leprouse as snow, `fro hym.

< 2 Kings 5 >