< 2 Kings 5 >
1 And Naaman, head of the host of the king of Aram, was a great man before his lord, and accepted of face, for YHWH had given salvation to Aram by him, and the man was mighty in valor, [but] leprous.
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.
2 And the Arameans have gone out [by] troops, and they take a little girl captive out of the land of Israel, and she is before the wife of Naaman,
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.
3 and she says to her mistress, “O that my lord [were] before the prophet who [is] in Samaria; then he recovers him from his leprosy.”
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.
4 And [one] goes in and declares [it] to his lord, saying, “Thus and thus the girl who [is] from the land of Israel has spoken.”
And she went in and told her lord, and said, Thus and thus spoke the maid from the land of Israel.
5 And the king of Aram says, “Go, enter, and I send a letter to the king of Israel”; and he goes and takes in his hand ten talents of silver, and six thousand [pieces] of gold, and ten changes of garments.
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.
6 And he brings in the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now, at the coming in of this letter to you, behold, I have sent my servant Naaman to you, and you have recovered him from his leprosy.”
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now then, as soon as this letter shall reach thee, behold, I have sent to thee my servant Naiman, and thou shalt recover him from his leprosy.
7 And it comes to pass, at the king of Israel’s reading the letter, that he tears his garments and says, “Am I God, to put to death and to keep alive, that this [one] is sending to me to recover a man from his leprosy? For surely know now, and see, for he is presenting himself to me.”
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel read the letter, [that] he rent 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.
8 And it comes to pass, at Elisha the man of God’s hearing that the king of Israel has torn his garments, that he sends to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your garments? Please let him come to me, and he knows that there is a prophet in Israel.”
And it came to pass, when Elisaie heard that the king of Israel had rent his garments, that he sent to the king of Israel, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy garments? Let Naiman, I pray thee, come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 And Naaman comes, with his horses and with his chariot, and stands at the opening of the house for Elisha;
So Naiman came with horse and chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisaie.
10 and Elisha sends a messenger to him, saying, “Go, and you have washed seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh turns back to you—and be clean.”
And Elisaie sent a messenger to him, saying, Go and wash seven times in Jordan, and thy flesh shall return to thee, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 And Naaman is angry, and goes on and says, “Behold, I said, He certainly comes out to me, and has stood and called in the Name of his God YHWH, and waved his hand over the place, and recovered the leper.
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.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Do I not wash in them and I have been clean?” And he turns and goes on in fury.
[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.
13 And his servants come near, and speak to him, and say, “My father, the prophet had spoken a great thing to you—do you not do [it]? And surely, when he has said to you, Wash, and be clean.”
And his servants came near and said to him, [Suppose] the prophet had spoken a great thing to thee, wouldest thou not perform it? yet he has but said to thee, Wash, and be cleansed.
14 And he goes down and dips in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh turns back as the flesh of a little youth, and is clean.
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.
15 And he turns back to the man of God, he and all his camp, and comes in, and stands before him, and says, “Now behold, I have known that there is not a God in all the earth except in Israel; and now, please take a blessing from your servant.”
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 thy servant.
16 And he says, “YHWH lives, before whom I have stood—if I take [it]”; and he presses on him to take, and he refuses.
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.
17 And Naaman says, “If not, please let a couple of mules’ burden of earth be given to your servant, for your servant makes no more burnt-offering and sacrifice to other gods, but [only sacrifices] to YHWH.
And Naiman said, Well then, if not, let there be given to thy servant, I pray thee, the load [of a] yoke of mules; and thou shalt give me of the red earth: for henceforth thy servant will not offer whole-burnt-offering or sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord by [reason of] this thing.
18 For in this thing may YHWH be propitious to your servant, in the coming in of my lord into the house of Rimmon to bow himself there, and he was supported by my hand, and I bowed myself [in] the house of Rimmon; for my bowing myself in the house of Rimmon, may YHWH now be propitious to your servant in this thing.”
And let the Lord be propitious to thy 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 thy servant in this matter.
19 And he says to him, “Go in peace.” And he goes from him a distance of land,
And Elisaie said to Naiman, Go in peace. And he departed from him a little way.
20 and Gehazi, servant of Elisha the man of God, says, “Behold, my lord has spared this Aramean Naaman, not to receive from his hand that which he brought; for YHWH lives; if I have run after him, then I have taken something from him.”
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.
21 And Gehazi pursues after Naaman, and Naaman sees one running after him, and comes down off the chariot to meet him, and says, “Is there peace?”
So Giezi followed after Naiman: and Naiman saw him running after him, and turned back from his chariot to meet him.
22 And he says, “Peace; my lord has sent me, saying, Behold, now, this, two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim; please give a talent of silver and two changes of garments to them.”
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 thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.
23 And Naaman says, “Be pleased, take two talents”; and he urges him, and binds two talents of silver in two purses, and two changes of garments, and gives [them] to two of his young men, and they carry [them] before him;
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.
24 and he comes to the high place, and takes [them] out of their hand, and lays [them] up in the house, and sends the men away, and they go.
And he came to a secret place, and took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and dismissed the men.
25 And he has come in, and stands by his lord, and Elisha says to him, “From where—Gehazi?” And he says, “Your servant did not go here or there.”
And he went in himself and stood before his master; and Elisaie said to him,
26 And he says to him, “My heart did not go when the man turned from off his chariot to meet you; is it a time to take silver, and to take garments, and olives, and vines, and flock, and herd, and menservants, and maidservants?
Whence [comest thou], Giezi? and Giezi said, Thy servant has not been hither or thither. And Elisaie said to him, Went not my heart with thee, when the man returned from his chariot to meet thee? and now thou hast received silver, and now thou hast received raiment, and olive yards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants.
27 Indeed, the leprosy of Naaman cleaves to you and to your seed for all time”; and he goes out from before him—leprous as snow.
The leprosy also of Naiman shall cleave to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence leprous, like snow.