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.