1Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man before his lord and highly regarded, because through him Yahweh had given victory to Aram. The man was also a mighty warrior—but he was afflicted with a skin disease.
2Aram had gone out in raiding bands and taken captive from the land of Israel a young girl, and she came to serve the wife of Naaman.
3She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were before the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his skin disease.”
4And he went in and told his lord, saying, “Thus and so the girl from the land of Israel has spoken.”
5Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments.
6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read: “Now, when this letter comes to you, note that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, so that you may cure him of his skin disease.”
7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends to me to cure a man of his skin disease? Just consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me!”
8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent word to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”
9So Naaman came with his horses and his chariot and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house.
10And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored to you, and you will be clean.”
11But Naaman was angry and went off, saying, “Look, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the spot, and cure the skin disease.’
12Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went off in a rage.
13But his servants approached and spoke to him, saying, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he has said to you, ‘Wash and be clean’?”
14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.
15Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”
16But he said, “As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And though he urged him to take it, he refused.
17Then Naaman said, “If not, then please let your servant be given two mule-loads of earth, for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to other gods, but only to Yahweh.
18In this matter may Yahweh pardon your servant: when my lord goes into the house of Rimmon to bow down there, leaning on my hand, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon—when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may Yahweh pardon your servant in this matter.”
19And he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went from him a short distance.
20Then Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my lord has spared this Naaman the Aramean by not accepting from him what he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and take something from him.”
21So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all well?”
22He said, “All is well. My master has sent me to say, ‘Just now two young men have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim, from the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of garments.’”
23Naaman said, “Please, take two talents.” He urged him, and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of garments, and gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them before him.
24When he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and stored them in the house; then he sent the men away, and they departed.
25Then he went in and stood before his lord, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He said, “Your servant has not gone anywhere.”
26But he said to him, “Did not my heart go along, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept silver and to accept garments, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants?
27Therefore the skin disease of Naaman will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” And he went out from his presence—diseased, white as snow.
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