1. Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a
great man with his master, and honourable, because by him
the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a
mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.
2. And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought
away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and
she waited on Naaman's wife.
3. And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with
the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of
his leprosy.
4. And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus
said the maid that is of the land of Israel.
5. And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a
letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took
with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of
gold, and ten changes of raiment.
6. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now
when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith
sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him
of his leprosy.
7. And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the
letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to
kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to
recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray
you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.
8. And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the
king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the
king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him
come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in
Israel.
9. So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and
stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in
Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee,
and thou shalt be clean.
11. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I
thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call
on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over
the place, and recover the leper.
12. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than
all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be
clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
13. And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My
father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing,
wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when
he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
14. Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan,
according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh
came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was
clean.
15. And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company,
and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I
know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel:
now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
16. But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will
receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
17. And Naaman said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given
to thy servant two mules' burden of earth? for thy servant
will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice
unto other gods, but unto the LORD.
18. In this thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my
master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and
he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of
Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the
LORD pardon thy servant in this thing.
19. And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a
little way.
20. But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said,
Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not
receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the
LORD liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
21. So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him
running after him, he lighted down from the chariot to meet
him, and said, Is all well?
22. And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying,
Behold, even now there be come to me from mount Ephraim two
young men of the sons of the prophets: give them, I pray
thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.
23. And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged
him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two
changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants;
and they bare them before him.
24. And when he came to the tower, he took them from their hand,
and bestowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and
they departed.
25. But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said
unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy
servant went no whither.
26. And he said unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when
the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a
time to receive money, and to receive garments, and
oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and
menservants, and maidservants?
27. The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and
unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a
leper as white as snow.
