2 Kings 5
5
Naaman Is Healed of a Skin Disease
1Naaman was army commander of the king of Aram. He was very important to his master and was highly respected. That’s because the Lord had helped him win the battle over Aram’s enemies. He was a brave soldier. But he had a skin disease.
2Groups of soldiers from Aram had marched out. They had captured a young girl from Israel. She became a servant of Naaman’s wife. 3The young girl spoke to the woman she was serving. She said, “I wish my master would go and see the prophet who is in Samaria. He would heal my master of his skin disease.”
4Naaman went to see his own master. He told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5“I think you should go,” the king of Aram replied. “I’ll give you a letter to take to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left. He took 750 pounds of silver with him. He also took 150 pounds of gold. And he took ten sets of clothes. 6He carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I’m sending my servant Naaman to you with this letter. I want you to heal him of his skin disease.”
7The king of Israel read the letter. As soon as he did, he tore his royal robes. He said, “Am I God? Can I kill people and bring them back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be healed of his skin disease? He must be trying to pick a fight with me!”
8Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes. So he sent the king a message. Elisha said, “Why have you torn your robes? Tell the man to come to me. Then he will know there is a prophet in Israel.” 9So Naaman went to see Elisha. He took his horses and chariots with him. He stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger out to him. The messenger said, “Go! Wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed. You will be pure and ‘clean’ again.”
11But Naaman went away angry. He said, “I was sure Elisha would come out to me. I thought he would stand there and pray to the Lord his God. I thought he would wave his hand over my skin. Then I would be healed. 12And what about the Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus? Aren’t they better than all the rivers of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in the rivers of Damascus and be made pure and ‘clean’?” So he turned and went away. He was very angry.
13Naaman’s servants went over to him. They said, “You are like a father to us. What if Elisha the prophet had told you to do some great thing? Wouldn’t you have done it? But he only said, ‘Wash yourself. Then you will be pure and “clean.” ’ You should be even more willing to do that!” 14So Naaman went down to the Jordan River. He dipped himself in it seven times. He did exactly what the man of God had told him to do. Then his skin was made pure again. It became “clean” like the skin of a young boy.
15Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. Naaman stood in front of Elisha. Naaman said, “Now I know that there is no God anywhere in the whole world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from me.”
16The prophet answered, “I serve the Lord. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that I won’t accept a gift from you.” Even though Naaman begged him to take it, Elisha wouldn’t.
17“I can see that you won’t accept a gift from me,” said Naaman. “But please let me have some soil from your land. Give me as much as a pair of mules can carry. Here’s why I want it. I won’t ever bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god again. I’ll bring them only to the Lord. I’ll worship him on his own soil. 18But there is one thing I hope the Lord will forgive me for. From time to time my master will enter the temple to bow down to his god Rimmon. When he does, he’ll lean on my arm. Then I’ll have to bow down there also. I hope the Lord will forgive me for that.”
19“Go in peace,” Elisha said.
Naaman started out on his way. 20Gehazi was the servant of Elisha, the man of God. Gehazi said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman from Aram. He should have accepted the gift Naaman brought. I’m going to run after him. I’m going to get something from him. And that’s just as sure as the Lord is alive.”
21Gehazi hurried after Naaman. Naaman saw him running toward him. So he got down from the chariot to greet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.
22“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the group of the prophets have just come to me. They’ve come from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothes.’ ”
23“I wish you would take twice as much silver,” said Naaman. He begged Gehazi to accept it. Then Naaman tied up 150 pounds of silver in two bags. He also gave Gehazi two sets of clothes. He gave all of it to two of his own servants. They carried it ahead of Gehazi. 24Gehazi came to the hill where Elisha lived. Then the servants handed the things over to Gehazi. He put them away in Elisha’s house. He sent the men away, and they left. 25Then he went back inside the house. He stood in front of his master Elisha.
“Gehazi, where have you been?” Elisha asked.
“I didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.
26But Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my spirit go with you? I know that the man got down from his chariot to greet you. Is this the time for you to accept money or clothes? Is it the time to take olive groves, vineyards, flocks or herds? Is it the time to accept male and female slaves? 27You and your children after you will have Naaman’s skin disease forever.” Then Gehazi left Elisha. And he had Naaman’s skin disease. His skin had become as white as snow.
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2 Kings 5
5
Naaman’s Disease Healed
1Naaman,#Lk 4:27 commander of the army for the king of Aram, was a man important to his master and highly regarded#Ex 11:3 because through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a valiant warrior, but he had a skin disease.#2Kg 7:3,8
2Aram had gone on raids#2Kg 6:23; 13:20 and brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”
4So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go, and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”
So he went and took with him 750 pounds#5:5 Lit 10 talents of silver, 150 pounds#5:5 Lit 6,000 shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.#Jdg 14:12; 2Kg 5:22 6He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:
When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.
7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes#Gn 37:29; 2Kg 11:14 and asked, “Am I God,#Gn 30:2 killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Recognize#5:7 Lit Know and see that he is only picking a fight with me.”#1Kg 20:7
8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”#1Kg 22:7 9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.
10Then Elisha sent him a messenger,#Nm 5:1–4 who said, “Go wash#Jn 9:7 seven times#Lv 14:7 in the Jordan and your skin will be restored and you will be clean.”
11But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand#Ex 7:19 over the place and cure the skin disease. 12Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel?#Is 8:6 Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage.#Pr 14:17; 19:11
13But his servants approached and said to him, “My father,#2Kg 2:12; 6:21; 13:14 if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he only tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” 14So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean.#Lk 4:27
15Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel.#Jos 2:11; 1Sm 17:46–47 Therefore, please accept a gift#Gn 33:11 from your servant.”
16But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives,#1Kg 17:1; 2Kg 3:14 in whose presence I stand, I will not accept it.”#Gn 14:22–23 Naaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.
17Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry,#Ex 20:24 for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the Lord.#Dt 6:4 18However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to bow in worship while he is leaning on my arm,#5:18 Lit worship, and he leans on my hand#2Kg 7:2 and I have to bow in the temple of Rimmon — when I bow#5:18 LXX, Vg read when he bows himself in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”
19So he said to him, “Go in peace.”#1Sm 1:17
Gehazi’s Greed Punished
After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, 20Gehazi,#2Kg 4:12,31 the attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought, “My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives,#Ex 20:7 I will run after him and get something from him.”
21So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
22Gehazi said, “It’s all right.#2Kg 4:26 My master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them seventy-five pounds#5:22 Lit a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”#2Kg 5:5
23But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept one hundred fifty pounds.”#5:23 Lit two talents He urged Gehazi and then packed one hundred fifty pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. Naaman gave them to two of his attendants who carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24When Gehazi came to the hill,#5:24 Or citadel#2Kg 1:9 he took the gifts from them and deposited them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.
25Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.
He replied, “Your servant didn’t go anywhere.”
26“And my heart didn’t go#5:26 Or “Did not my heart go#2Kg 2:9,15 when the man got down from his chariot to meet you,” Elisha said. “Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, flocks and herds, and male and female slaves? 27Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased, resembling snow.#5:27 A reference to whiteness or flakiness of the skin#Ex 4:6; Nm 12:10
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