2 Kings 5
1NAIMAN the captain general of the army of Syria, was a man great in the sight of his master and highly honoured; because by him the Lord had given deliverance to Syria. But this man who was mighty in power, was leprous.
2Now the light-armed bands had gone from Syria and brought away captive out of the land of Israel, a little girl and she waited on Naiman’s wife.
3And she said to her mistress, O that my master were before the prophet of God who is in Samaria: Then would he cure him of his leprosy.
4And she went in and told her lord and said, Thus and thus hath the little girl spoken, who is from the land of Israel.
5Upon this the king of Syria said to Naiman, Come, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. So he set out and took with him ten talents of silver and six thousand pieces of gold and ten suits of apparel
6and carried the letter to the king of Israel, the purport of which was, Now when this letter shall come to thee, behold I have sent to thee my servant Naiman that thou mayst cure him of his leprosy.
7And when the king of Israel had read the letter he rent his clothes and said, Am I God to kill or give life, that he sendeth to me to cure a man of his leprosy? For only consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a pretence for quarreling with me.
8But when Elisha heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes he sent to him saying, Why hast thou rent thy clothes? Let Naiman come to me and know that there is a prophet in Israel.
9So Naiman went with his horses and chariot and stopped at the doors of Elisha’s house.
10And Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, Go and wash thyself seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall return to thee and thou shalt be cleansed.
11Thereupon Naiman was inflamed with indignation and went away saying, Behold I thought he would at least come out and stand and call on the name of his God, or lay his hand on the place, and cure the leprous part.
12Are not Abana and Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Why may I not go and wash in them, and be cleansed? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13But his servants drew near and said to him, Had the prophet enjoined thee some great thing, wouldst thou not do it? And wilt thou not, because he said, Wash and be clean?
14Then Naiman went down, and when he had dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the prophet, his flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.
15Upon this he and all his retinue, returned to Elisha, and came and stood before him and said, Behold I now know that there is not a God in all the earth save only in Israel. Now therefore accept this acknowledgment, from thy servant.
16But Elisha said, As the Lord liveth in whose presence I stand, I will not receive it. And when he urged him to take it and he refused,
17Naiman said, But if not; pray let there be given to thy servant a couple of mules burden of earth; for thy servant will no more offer a whole burnt offering or a sacrifice to other gods, but only to the Lord.
18But in this thing may the Lord be gracious to thy servant. When my master goeth into the house of Remman to worship there, should he lean on my hand, and I bow down in the house of Remman, when he boweth down there, may the Lord, I pray, be gracious to thy servant in this respect.
19And Elisha said to Naiman, Go in peace. Now when he had gone a little way from him,
20Giezi the servant of Elisha said, Behold my master hath spared Naiman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hand what he brought. As the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and receive something from him.
21So Giezi went after Naiman with all speed. And when Naiman saw him running after him, he turned about from his chariot to meet him.
22And he said, Peace! My master hath sent me saying, Behold there are just come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Give, I pray thee for them a talent of silver and two suits of apparel.
23To which he replied, Take two talents of silver. So he took two talents of silver, in two bags, and two suits of raiment and laid them on two of his servants and they carried them before him.
24And when he came to a dark place, he took them from the hands of his servants, and laid them up in the house.
25And when he had dismissed the men, he went in and stood before his master.
26And Elisha said to him, Whence comest thou, Giezi? To which he replied, Thy servant hath not gone anywhere. And Elisha said to him, My heart indeed did not go with thee, when the man turned about from his chariot to meet thee. Now thou hast received silver; and thou hast now received the apparel and olive yards and vineyards and flocks and herds and men servants, and maid servants;
27but the leprosy of Naiman shall cleave to thee, and thy seed forever. So he went out from his presence, leprous like snow.