Ii Regum 5
1 Naaman princeps militiæ regis Syriæ erat vir magnus apud dominum suum, et honoratus: per illum enim dedit Dominus salutem Syriæ: erat autem vir fortis et dives, sed leprosus.
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 Porro de Syria egressi fuerant latrunculi, et captivam duxerant de terra Israël puellam parvulam, quæ erat in obsequio uxoris Naaman:
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 quæ ait ad dominam suam: Utinam fuisset dominus meus ad prophetam qui est in Samaria, profecto curasset eum a lepra quam habet.
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 Ingressus est itaque Naaman ad dominum suum, et nuntiavit ei, dicens: Sic et sic locuta est puella de terra Israël.
Naaman went to his master and explained what the Israelite girl had said.
5 Dixitque ei rex Syriæ: Vade, et mittam litteras ad regem Israël. Qui cum profectus esset, et tulisset secum decem talenta argenti, et sex millia aureos, et decem mutatoria vestimentorum,
“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 detulit litteras ad regem Israël in hæc verba: Cum acceperis epistolam hanc, scito quod miserim ad te Naaman servum meum, ut cures eum a lepra sua.
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 Cumque legisset rex Israël litteras, scidit vestimenta sua, et ait: Numquid deus ego sum, ut occidere possim et vivificare, quia iste misit ad me ut curem hominem a lepra sua? animadvertite, et videte quod occasiones quærat adversum 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 Quod cum audisset Eliseus vir Dei, scidisse videlicet regem Israël vestimenta sua, misit ad eum, dicens: Quare scidisti vestimenta tua? veniat ad me, et sciat esse prophetam in Israël.
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 Venit ergo Naaman cum equis et curribus, et stetit ad ostium domus Elisei:
So Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots and stood waiting at the door of Elisha's house.
10 misitque ad eum Eliseus nuntium, dicens: Vade, et lavare septies in Jordane, et recipiet sanitatem caro tua, atque mundaberis.
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 Iratus Naaman recedebat, dicens: Putabam quod egrederetur ad me, et stans invocaret nomen Domini Dei sui, et tangeret manu sua locum lepræ, et curaret me.
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 Numquid non meliores sunt Abana et Pharphar fluvii Damasci, omnibus aquis Israël, ut laver in eis, et munder? Cum ergo vertisset se, et abiret indignans,
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 accesserunt ad eum servi sui, et locuti sunt ei: Pater, etsi rem grandem dixisset tibi propheta, certe facere debueras: quanto magis quia nunc dixit tibi: Lavare, et mundaberis?
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 Descendit, et lavit in Jordane septies juxta sermonem viri Dei: et restituta est caro ejus sicut caro pueri parvuli, et mundatus est.
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 Reversusque ad virum Dei cum universo comitatu suo, venit, et stetit coram eo, et ait: Vere scio quod non sit alius deus in universa terra, nisi tantum in Israël. Obsecro itaque ut accipias benedictionem a servo tuo.
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 At ille respondit: Vivit Dominus, ante quem sto, quia non accipiam. Cumque vim faceret, penitus non acquievit.
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 Dixitque Naaman: Ut vis: sed, obsecro, concede mihi servo tuo ut tollam onus duorum burdonum de terra: non enim faciet ultra servus tuus holocaustum aut victimam diis alienis, nisi Domino.
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 Hoc autem solum est, de quo depreceris Dominum pro servo tuo, quando ingredietur dominus meus templum Remmon ut adoret: et illo innitente super manum meam, si adoravero in templo Remmon, adorante eo in eodem loco, ut ignoscat mihi Dominus servo tuo pro hac re.
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 Qui dixit ei: Vade in pace. Abiit ergo ab eo electo terræ tempore.
“Go in peace,” said Elisha, and Naaman left. But he had only gone a short way
20 Dixitque Giezi puer viri Dei: Pepercit dominus meus Naaman Syro isti, ut non acciperet ab eo quæ attulit: vivit Dominus, quia curram post eum, et accipiam ab eo aliquid.
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 Et secutus est Giezi post tergum Naaman: quem cum vidisset ille currentem ad se, desiliit de curru in occursum ejus, et ait: Rectene sunt omnia?
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 Et ille ait: Recte. Dominus meus misit me ad te dicens: Modo venerunt ad me duo adolescentes de monte Ephraim, ex filiis prophetarum: da eis talentum argenti, et vestes mutatorias duplices.
“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 Dixitque Naaman: Melius est ut accipias duo talenta. Et coëgit eum, ligavitque duo talenta argenti in duobus saccis, et duplicia vestimenta, et imposuit duobus pueris suis, qui et portaverunt coram eo.
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 Cumque venisset jam vesperi, tulit de manu eorum, et reposuit in domo, dimisitque viros, et abierunt.
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 Ipse autem ingressus, stetit coram domino suo. Et dixit Eliseus: Unde venis, Giezi? Qui respondit: Non ivit servus tuus quoquam.
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 At ille ait: Nonne cor meum in præsenti erat, quando reversus est homo de curru suo in occursum tui? nunc igitur accepisti argentum, et accepisti vestes ut emas oliveta, et vineas, et oves, et boves, et servos, et ancillas.
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 Sed et lepra Naaman adhærebit tibi, et semini tuo usque in sempiternum. Et egressus est ab eo leprosus quasi nix.
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.
