CHAPTER 5
1 Naaman, prince of the chivalry of the king of Syria, was a great man, and worshipped with his lord; for by him the Lord gave health or victory to Syria; soothly he was a strong man and rich, but he was leprous.
2 Forsooth thieves went out of Syria, and led away as prisoner from the land of Israel a little damsel, that was in the service of the wife of Naaman.
3 And she said to her lady, Would God, that my lord had been at the prophet that is in Samaria; soothly the prophet would have cured him of [the] leprosy that he hath.
4 Therefore Naaman entered to his lord, and told to him, and said, A damsel of the land of Israel spake so and so.
5 Therefore the king of Syria said to him, Go thou, and I shall send letters to the king of Israel. And when Naaman had gone forth, and had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand golden plates, either florins, and ten changings of clothes,
6 he brought letters to the king of Israel by these words; When thou hast taken this epistle, know thou, that I have sent to thee Naaman, my servant, that thou cure him of his leprosy.
7 And when the king of Israel had read the letters, he rent his clothes, and said, Whether I am God, that may slay and quicken, for this king sent to me, that I cure a man of his leprosy? Perceive ye, and see, that he seeketh occasions against me.
8 And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why rentest thou thy clothes? come he to me, and know he, that there is a prophet in Israel.
9 Then Naaman came with horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
10 And Elisha sent to him a mes-senger, and said, Go, and be thou washed seven times in Jordan; and thy flesh shall receive health, and thou shalt be cleansed.
11 Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have gone out to me, and that he would have stood, and inwardly have called the name of the Lord his God, and that he should have touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and should have cured me so.
12 Whether Abana and Pharpar, the floods of Damascus, be not better than all the waters of Israel, that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? Therefore when he had turned himself, and went away, having indignation,
13 his servants nighed to him, and spake to him, Father, though the prophet had said to thee a great thing, certainly thou oughtest to do it; how much more for now he said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed.
14 Then Naaman went down, and washed him seven times in the Jordan, by the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.
15 And he turned again with all his fellowship to the man of God, and came, and stood before him; and said, Verily I know, that none other God is in all [the] earth, no but only [the] God of Israel; therefore, I beseech, that thou take [a] blessing, that is, a gift, of thy servant.
16 And Elisha answered, The Lord liveth before whom I stand, for I shall not take it of thee. And when he made great force thereto, Elisha assented not utterly.
17 Then Naaman said, As thou wilt; but, I beseech, grant thou to me, thy servant, that I take of this earth the charge of two burdens; for thy servant shall no more make burnt sacrifice, either slain sacrifice, to alien gods, no but to the Lord.
18 Forsooth this thing is only, of which thou shalt pray the Lord for thy servant, that when my lord shall enter into the temple of Rimmon, that he worship there, and while he shall lean on mine hand, if I worship in the temple of Rimmon, while he worship-peth in the same place, that the Lord forgive to thy servant, for this thing.
19 And Elisha said to him, Go thou in peace. And so Naaman went from Elisha in a chosen time of the land.
20 And Gehazi, the child of the man of God, said in his heart, My lord hath spared this man of Syria, that he took not of him that, that he brought; the Lord liveth, for I shall run after him, and I shall take of him something.
21 And Gehazi pursued [or followed] after the back of Naaman; and when Naaman had seen Gehazi running to him, he skipped down off the chariot into the meeting of Gehazi; and said, Whether all things be rightful?
22 And he said, Rightfully; my lord sent me to thee, and said, Two young men of the hill of Ephraim, of the sons of prophets, came now to me; give thou to them a talent of silver, and double changing of clothes.
23 And Naaman said, It is better that thou take two talents. And Naaman constrained him; and Naaman bound the two talents of silver in two bags, and the double clothes, and he put those upon his two servants, the which also bare it before Gehazi.
24 And when Gehazi had come then in the eventide, he took it from the hand of them, and laid it up in the house; and he delivered the men, and they went forth.
25 And then Gehazi entered, and stood before his lord. And Elisha said, Gehazi, from whence comest thou? Which answered, Thy servant went not to any place.
26 And Elisha said, Whether mine heart was not present there, when the man turned again from his chariot into the meeting of thee? Now there-fore thou hast taken silver, and thou hast taken clothes, that thou buy places of olives, and vineries [or vines], and sheep, and oxen, and servants, and handmaids;
27 but also the leprosy of Naaman shall cleave to thee, and to thy seed without end. And Gehazi went out from him leprous as snow.