2 Kings 5

5 ¹ Naaman, army commander for Aram's king, was great and highly regarded by his master, because through him our Father gave Aram victory. This brave warrior had a skin disease. ² The Arameans had raided and taken a young girl captive from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife. ³ She told her mistress, "If only my master could see the prophet in Samaria! He would cure his skin disease."

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

⁵ "Go," said Aram's king. "I'll send a letter to Israel's king." So Naaman left with seven hundred fifty pounds of silver, one hundred fifty pounds of gold, and ten sets of clothing.

⁶ He brought the letter to Israel's king. It read: "I send you my servant Naaman with this letter, to cure his skin disease."

⁷ Reading the letter, Israel's king tore his clothes: "Am I God, to kill and give life, that he asks me to cure a man's skin disease? See, he's picking a fight with me!"

⁸ When Elisha the man of our Father heard Israel's king had torn his clothes, he sent word: "Why tear your clothes? Send him to me, and he'll know there's 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 to him: "Wash seven times in the Jordan; your flesh will be restored, and you'll be clean."

¹¹ But Naaman left angry, saying, "I expected he'd come out, stand, call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot, and cure the disease." ¹² "Aren't Abana and Pharpar, Damascus's rivers, better than all Israel's waters? Couldn't I wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and left in a rage.

¹³ But his servants approached him: "My father, if the prophet told you to do some great thing, wouldn't you? How much more when he says, 'Wash and be clean'?"

¹⁴ He went down and dipped in the Jordan seven times, as the man of our Father said, and his flesh was restored like a little child's, and he was clean.

¹⁵ Naaman and all his party returned to the man of our Father, stood before him, and said, "Now I know there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant."

¹⁶ Elisha replied, "As surely as our Father lives, before whom I stand, I will accept nothing." Naaman urged him, but he refused.

¹⁷ "If not," Naaman said, "let your servant be given as much earth as two mules can carry, for your servant will never again offer 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 enters Rimmon's temple to worship, leaning on my arm, and I bow—may the LORD forgive your servant."

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

²⁰ But Gehazi, servant of Elisha the man of our Father, thought: "My master spared this Aramean Naaman, refusing his gift. As our Father lives, I'll run after him and get something."

²¹ Gehazi chased after Naaman. Seeing him run up, Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet him: "Is all well?"

²² "All's well," Gehazi said. "My master sent me to say: 'Two young men from the prophets' company just came to me from Ephraim's hills. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.'"

²³ "Please, take a hundred fifty pounds," Naaman urged. He tied that much silver in two bags with two sets of clothing, gave them to two servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴ At the hill Gehazi took the things from the servants, put them in the house, sent the men off, and they left. ²⁵ He went in and stood before his master. Elisha asked, "Where were you, Gehazi?" "Nowhere," he said.

²⁶ But Elisha said, "Didn't my heart go with you when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it time to take silver, clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants? ²⁷ Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and your descendants forever. Gehazi left his presence with a skin disease, white as snow.