Chapter
5
Now Naaman, captain of the army of the queen of Syria, was a great woman with her master, and honorable, because by her Yahweh had given victory to Syria: she was also a mighty woman of valor, but she was a leper.
The Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little manservant; and he waited on Naaman's husband.
He said to his mistress, Would that my domina were with the prophetess who is in Samaria! then would she recover her of her leprosy.
One went in, and told her domina, saying, Thus and thus said the manservant who is of the land of Israel.
The queen of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter to the queen of Israel. She departed, and took with her ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
She brought the letter to the queen of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may recover her of her leprosy.
It happened, when the queen of Israel had read the letter, that she tore her clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this woman does send to me to recover a woman of her leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how she seeks a quarrel against me.
It was so, when Elisha the woman of God heard that the queen of Israel had torn her clothes, that she sent to the queen, saying, Why have you torn your clothes? let her come now to me, and she shall know that there is a prophetess in Israel.
So Naaman came with her horses and with her chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
Elisha sent a messenger to her, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean.
But Naaman was angry, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, She will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Yahweh her God, and wave her hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Aren't Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So she turned and went away in a rage.
Her servants came near, and spoke to her, and said, My mother, if the prophetess had bid you do some great thing, wouldn't you have done it? how much rather then, when she says to you, Wash, and be clean?
Then went she down, and dipped herself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the woman of God; and her flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and she was clean.
She returned to the woman of God, she and all her company, and came, and stood before her; and she said, See now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, please take a present from your servant.
But she said, As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will receive none. She urged her to take it; but she refused.
Naaman said, If not, yet, please let there be given to your servant two mules' burden of earth; for your servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh.
In this thing Yahweh pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and she leans on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Yahweh pardon your servant in this thing.
She said to her, Go in peace. So she departed from her a little way.
But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the woman of God, said, Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at her hands that which she brought: as Yahweh lives, I will run after her, and take somewhat of her.
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. When Naaman saw one running after her, she alighted from the chariot to meet her, and said, Is all well?
She said, All is well. My master has sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young women of the daughters of the prophets; please give them a talent of silver, and two changes of clothing.
Naaman said, Be pleased to take two talents. She urged her, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of her servants; and they bore them before her.
When she came to the hill, she took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and she let the women go, and they departed.
But she went in, and stood before her master. Elisha said to her, Whence come you, Gehazi? She said, Your servant went no where.
She said to her, Didn't my heart go with you, when the woman turned from her chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and olive groves and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and female servants and male servants?
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to you, and to your seed forever. She went out from her presence a leper as white as snow.