2 Kings 5

A man named Naaman was the commander of the army of Aram. God had enabled him to win many victories, and the king of Aram admired and honored him. Naaman was also a strong and brave soldier, but he had leprosy.

Sometime previously, groups of soldiers had invaded the land of Israel, and they had captured a young girl and taken her to Aram. She became a servant for Naaman's wife.

One day, that girl said to her, "I wish that my master would go to see the prophet in the city of Samaria. That prophet would heal your husband from his leprosy."

Naaman's wife told her husband what the girl from Israel had said, and Naaman told that to the king.

The king said to him, “Very well, go and see the prophet. I will write a letter for you to take to the king of Israel, saying that I sent you.” The king wrote in the letter, “I am sending this letter with my army commander Naaman, who serves me faithfully. I want you to heal him of his disease.” So Naaman took the letter and 330 kilograms of silver, 66 kilograms of gold, and ten sets of clothing, and he went to Samaria, taking along several servants.

When he arrived in Samaria, he gave the letter to the king of Israel. The king read the letter. Then, being very dismayed, the king tore his clothes and said, "I am not God! I am not able to cause people to live or to die! Why does the one who wrote this letter request me to cure this man of his leprosy? I do not have power to cure leprosy. The king of Aram is merely looking for an excuse to attack us!"

The prophet Elisha heard why the king of Israel had torn his robe, so he sent a message to the king, saying, "Why are you upset? Send Naaman to me, and he will find out that I am a true prophet in Israel."

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots to Elisha's house and waited outside the door.

But Elisha did not come to the door. Instead, he sent a messenger to Naaman to tell him, "Go to the Jordan River and go down seven times into the water. Then your skin will be well, and you will no longer have leprosy."

But Naaman became very angry. He said, "I thought that surely he would wave his hand over the leprosy and pray to God and heal me!

Surely the Abana River and the Pharpar River in Damascus in my own country of Aram have better water than any in Israel! Can I not go into my rivers at home and be healed and cleansed?" So he turned and walked away in great disgust.

But his servants came to him, and one of them said, "Sir, if that prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would certainly have done it. So why do you refuse to do such a simple thing he asks when he says, "Go down seven times in the water and be clean?'"

So Naaman went down to the Jordan River and went into the water seven times, as the prophet had instructed, and his skin became healthy, like the smooth skin of a young child.

Then Naaman and those who were with him went back to talk to Elisha. They stood in front of him, and Naaman said, "Now I know that there are no real gods anywhere else in the world, but there is the true God here in Israel! So now please accept these gifts that I have brought to you!"

But Elisha replied, "Just as certainly as God, the one whom I serve, lives, I will not accept any gifts." Naaman kept urging him to accept the gifts, but Elisha kept refusing.

Then Naaman said, "Very well, but I have one request. This soil here in Israel is God's soil, so please allow me to take some soil from this place and put it in sacks on two mules. Then I will take it back home with me and make an altar on this soil. From now on, I will offer sacrifices to God on that altar. I will not offer sacrifices to any other god.

However, when my master the king goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship him, I ask that God will forgive me because I will also have to bow down."

Elisha replied, "Go home, and do not worry about that." So Naaman and his servants started to travel home.

But then Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, "It is not good that my master has allowed this Aramean man to leave like this. He should have accepted his gifts. So just as certainly as God lives, I will go and catch up with Naaman and get something from him."

So Gehazi hurried to catch up with Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running toward him, he stopped the chariot in which he was riding, jumped out, and went to see what Gehazi wanted. He asked him, "Is everything all right?"

Gehazi replied, "Yes, but two young prophets from the hill country where the descendants of Ephraim live have just arrived. Elisha has sent me to tell you that he would like thirty-three kilograms of silver and two sets of clothing to give to them."

Naaman replied, "Certainly! You can have sixty-six kilograms of silver!" He urged Gehazi to take it. He also gave him two sets of clothing. He tied up the silver in two bags and gave them to two of his servants to carry back to Elisha.

But when they arrived at the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the silver and the clothes from Naaman's servants and sent the servants back to Naaman. Then he took those things into his house and hid them.

When he went to Elisha, Elisha asked him, "Where did you go, Gehazi?" Gehazi replied, "I did not go anywhere."

Elisha asked him, "Do you not realize that my spirit was there when Naaman got out of his chariot to talk with you? This is certainly not the time to accept gifts of money and clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and servants!

Because you have done this, you and your children and all your descendants will forever have leprosy, just as Naaman had!" When Gehazi left the room, he was a leper. His skin was as white as snow.