2 Kings 5

5 ¹ Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master's eyes and highly regarded, because through him our Father had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant warrior, but he had leprosy. ² Now the Arameans had gone out in raiding bands and had carried off a young girl from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. ³ She said to her mistress, "If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

⁴ So Naaman went in and told his master, "This is what the girl from the land of Israel said."

⁵ "Go ahead," said the king of Aram. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

⁶ He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

⁷ As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to kill and to bring to life, that this man sends word for me to cure a man of his leprosy? See how he is looking for a quarrel with me!"

⁸ When Elisha the man of our Father heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king: "Why have you torn your clothes? Let the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."

⁹ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house. ¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger out to him with this word: "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean."

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot and cure the leprosy." ¹² "Are not the Abana and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.

¹³ But his servants came up to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash, and be clean'?"

¹⁴ So he went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times, as the man of our Father had told him, and his flesh was restored and became like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Gehazi's Greed Brings a Curse

¹⁵ Then Naaman and his whole company returned to the man of our Father. He came and stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant."

¹⁶ But Elisha replied, "As surely as our Father lives, before whom I stand, I will accept nothing." And though Naaman urged him to take it, he refused.

¹⁷ "If you will not," said Naaman, "then please let your servant be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make a burnt offering or sacrifice to any other god but the LORD." ¹⁸ "But may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: when my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, when I bow down there, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."

¹⁹ "Go in peace," Elisha said. So Naaman departed from him and had gone some distance

²⁰ But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of our Father, said to himself, "My master has let this Aramean Naaman off too easily by not accepting what he brought. As surely as our Father lives, I will run after him and get something from him."

²¹ So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and asked, "Is everything all right?"

²² "Everything is fine," Gehazi said. "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'"

²³ "By all means, take two talents," said Naaman. He urged Gehazi, and he tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing, and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants' hands and stored them in the house; then he sent the men away, and they left. ²⁵ Then he went in and stood before his master. Elisha asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" "Your servant didn't go anywhere," he said.

²⁶ But Elisha said to him, "Did not my heart go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, male and female servants? ²⁷ Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever." Then Gehazi left his presence, leprous, his skin as white as snow.