2 Kings 5:22 | New International Reader’s Version

New International Reader’s Version

Naaman is healed of a skin disease

1 Naaman 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. 2 Groups of soldiers from Aram had marched out. They had captured a young girl from Israel. She became a servant of Naaman’s wife. 3 The 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.’ 4 Naaman 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 360 kilograms of silver with him. He also took 72 kilograms of gold. And he took ten sets of clothes. 6 He 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.’ 7 The 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!’ 8 Elisha, 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.’ 9 So Naaman went to see Elisha. He took his horses and chariots with him. He stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger out to him. The messenger said, ‘Go! Wash yourself in the River Jordan seven times. Then your skin will be healed. You will be pure and “clean” again.’ 11 But 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. 12 And 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. 13 Naaman’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!’ 14 So Naaman went down to the River Jordan. 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. 15 Naaman 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.’ 16 The 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. 18 But 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. 20 Gehazi 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.’ 21 Gehazi hurried after Naaman. Naaman saw him running towards 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 36 kilograms 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 72 kilograms 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. 24 Gehazi 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. 25 Then 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. 26 But 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? 27 You and your children after you will have Naaman’s skin disease for ever.’ Then Gehazi left Elisha. And he had Naaman’s skin disease. His skin had become as white as snow.

English Standard Version

Naaman Healed of Leprosy

1 Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.^[1] (2Ki 4:13; Lu 4:27) 2 Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman’s wife. (2Ki 6:23) 3 She said to her mistress, “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” 4 So Naaman went in and told his lord, “Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel.” 5 And the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels^[2] of gold, and ten changes of clothing. (Jud 14:12; 1Sa 9:7; 2Ki 4:42; 2Ki 5:22; 2Ki 8:8)

Jud 14:121Sa 9:72Ki 4:422Ki 5:222Ki 8:8

6 And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7 And when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.” (Ge 30:2; Ge 44:13; De 32:39; 1Sa 2:6; 1Ki 20:7)

Ge 30:2Ge 44:13De 32:391Sa 2:61Ki 20:7

8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” (De 33:1) 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” (Joh 9:7) 11 But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. 12 Are not Abana^[3] and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. (1Ki 11:24) 13 But his servants came near and said to him, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” (Jud 17:10; 2Ki 6:21; 2Ki 8:9) 14 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. (2Ki 5:10; Job 33:25; Lu 4:27)

Gehazi’s Greed and Punishment

15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant.” (Ge 33:11; Da 2:47; Da 3:29; Da 6:26)

Ge 33:11Da 2:47Da 3:29Da 6:26

16 But he said, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. (Ge 14:23; 1Ki 17:1; 2Ki 3:14) 17 Then Naaman said, “If not, please let there be given to your servant two mule loads of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the Lord. 18 In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.” (1Ki 15:18; 2Ki 7:2; 2Ki 7:17; Zec 12:11)

1Ki 15:182Ki 7:22Ki 7:17Zec 12:11

19 He said to him, “Go in peace.” But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance, (1Sa 1:17) 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.” (Ru 3:13; 2Ki 4:12) 21 So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?” (2Ki 9:11) 22 And he said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.’” (Jos 24:33; 2Ki 5:5) 23 And Naaman said, “Be pleased to accept two talents.” And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi. (2Ki 6:3) 24 And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed. 25 He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.” 26 But he said to him, “Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? 27 Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper, like snow. (Ex 4:6; Nu 12:10; 2Ki 15:5)