-
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.
02 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.
03 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.
04 And one went in, and told his lord, saying,
Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land
of Israel.
05 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.
06 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.
07 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.
08 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.
09 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.
__________________________________ |
