2 Kings 5–8

5TH CHAPTER

Elisha Heals Naaman

¹Naaman, the commander of the Aramean king’s army, was respected and highly honored by his master. The Lord had given Aram a victory through Naaman. This man was a good soldier, but he had a skin disease. 

²Once, when the Arameans went on raids, they had brought back a little girl from Israel. She became the servant of Naaman’s wife. ³The girl told her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet in Samaria. Then the prophet could cure him of his skin disease.” 

⁴Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 

⁵The king of Aram said, “You may go. I will also send a letter to the king of Israel.” When Naaman left, he took 750 pounds of silver, 150 pounds of gold, and 10 sets of clothing with him. ⁶He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read, “I’m sending my officer Naaman with this letter. Cure him of his skin disease.” 

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes ⸤in distress⸥. He asked, “Am I God? Can I kill someone and then bring him back to life? This man sends someone to me so that I can cure his skin disease! All of you should realize and understand that he’s trying to pick a fight with me.” 

⁸But when Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a messenger to the king. He asked, “Why did you tear your clothes? Please let Naaman come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.” 

⁹Naaman came with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha’s home. ¹⁰Elisha sent a messenger to him. He said, “Wash yourself seven times in the Jordan River, and your skin will be healthy and clean.”^a

¹¹But Naaman became angry and left. He said, “I thought he would at least come out ⸤of his house⸥, stand somewhere, call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the ⸤infected⸥ place, and heal the skin disease. ¹²The Abana and Pharpar Rivers in Damascus have better water than any of the rivers in Israel. Couldn’t I wash in them and be clean?” So he turned around and left in anger. 

¹³But Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “Master, if the prophet had asked you to do some extraordinary act, wouldn’t you have done it? Why shouldn’t you do as he said: ‘Wash and be clean’?” 

¹⁴So he went to dip himself in the Jordan River seven times, as the man of God had instructed him. His skin became healthy again like a little child’s skin. ¹⁵Then he and all his men returned to the man of God. Naaman stood in front of Elisha and said, “Now I know that there’s no god in the whole world, except the God of Israel. So please accept a present from me.” 

¹⁶Elisha said, “I solemnly swear, as the Lord whom I serve lives, I will not accept it.” Naaman urged him to take it, but he refused. 

¹⁷So Naaman said, “If you won’t take it, please have someone give me as much dirt as a pair of mules can carry. From now on I will sacrifice to the Lord alone. I will not offer any burnt offering or sacrifice to any other gods. ¹⁸May the Lord forgive me when my master goes to the temple of Rimmon to worship, leans on my arm, and I have to bow down in the temple of Rimmon. When I do this, may the Lord forgive me for this one thing.” 

¹⁹Elisha told Naaman, “Go in peace.” 

After Elisha had left him and gone some distance, ²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha (the man of God), thought, “My master let this Aramean Naaman go without accepting what he had brought. As sure as the Lord lives, I’ll run after Naaman and get something from him.” ²¹So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw Gehazi running after him, he got down from his chariot to speak to him. “Is something wrong?” he asked. 

²²Gehazi answered, “No. My master has sent me. He says, ‘Just now two young men from the disciples of the prophets in the hills of Ephraim have arrived. Please give them 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothing.’ ” 

²³Naaman replied, “Please let me give you 150 pounds of silver.” Naaman urged him ⸤to take the silver⸥. Naaman tied up 150 pounds of silver in two bags with two sets of clothing. He gave them to a couple of his own servants to carry in front of Gehazi. 

²⁴When Gehazi came to the Ophel in Samaria, he took these things and put them away in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left. ²⁵He went and stood in front of his master. 

Elisha asked him, “Where were you, Gehazi?” 

“I didn’t go anywhere,” he answered. 

²⁶Then Elisha said to him, “I went with you in spirit when the man turned around in his chariot to speak to you. How could you accept silver, clothes, olive orchards, vineyards, sheep, cattle, or slaves? ²⁷Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants permanently!” 

When he left Elisha, Gehazi had a disease that made his skin as flaky as snow. 

6TH CHAPTER

Elisha and the Floating Ax Head

¹The disciples of the prophets said to Elisha, “The place where we’re staying is too small for us. ²Let’s go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some logs and make a place for us to live there.” 

Elisha said, “Go ahead.” 

³Then one of the disciples asked, “Won’t you please come with us?” 

Elisha answered, “I’ll go.” 

⁴So he went with them. They came to the Jordan River and began to cut down trees. ⁵As one of them was cutting down a tree, the ax head fell into the water. He cried out, “Oh no, master! It was borrowed!” 

⁶The man of God asked, “Where did it fall?” When he showed Elisha the place, Elisha cut off a piece of wood. He threw it into the water at that place and made the ax head float. ⁷Elisha said, “Pick it up.” The disciple reached for it and picked it up. 

The Aramean Army Is Struck with Blindness

⁸Whenever the king of Aram was fighting against Israel, he asked for advice from his officers about where they were to camp. 

⁹So the man of God would send a message to the king of Israel, “Be careful not to go by that place. The Arameans are hiding there.” ¹⁰Then the king of Israel would send someone to the place that the man of God told him about. Elisha warned them so that they would be on their guard. He did this repeatedly. 

¹¹The king of Aram was very angry about this. He called his officers and asked them, “Won’t you tell me who among us is ⸤a spy⸥ for the king of Israel?” 

¹²One of his officers answered, “No one, Your Majesty. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel everything you say—even what you say in your bedroom.” 

¹³The king said, “Find out where he is. Then I will send men to capture him.” 

The king was told, “He is in Dothan.” ¹⁴So the king sent horses and chariots and a large fighting unit there. They came at night and surrounded the city. 

¹⁵When the servant of the man of God got up in the morning and went outside, he saw troops, horses, and chariots surrounding the city. Elisha’s servant asked, “Master, what should we do?” 

¹⁶Elisha answered, “Don’t be afraid. We have more forces on our side than they have on theirs.” ¹⁷Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes so that he may see.” The Lord opened the servant’s eyes and let him see. The mountain around Elisha was full of fiery horses and chariots. 

¹⁸As the Arameans came down to get him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike these people with blindness.” The Lord struck them with blindness, as Elisha had asked. ¹⁹Elisha told them, “This isn’t the way! This isn’t the city. Follow me, and I will lead you to the man you’re looking for.” So he led them into Samaria. ²⁰When they came into Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men, and let them see.” The Lord opened their eyes and let them see that they were in the middle of Samaria. 

²¹When the king of Israel saw them, he asked Elisha, “Master, should I kill them? Should I kill them?” 

²²Elisha answered, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill everyone you take captive in combat? Give them food and water. Let them eat and drink. Then let them go back to their master.” 

²³So the king prepared a great feast for them. They ate and drank, and then he sent them back to their master. After this, Aramean troops didn’t raid Israel’s territory anymore. 

The Aramean Army Blockades Samaria

²⁴Later King Benhadad of Aram assembled his whole army. They went to Samaria and blockaded it. ²⁵The shortages caused by the blockade of Samaria became so severe that a donkey’s head sold for two pounds of silver and a half-pint of dove^amanure for two ounces of silver. 

²⁶As the king of Israel was walking on the city wall, a woman cried to him, “Help me, Your Majesty!” 

²⁷He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, how can I help you? I can’t give you something from the threshing floor^bor the winepress.” ²⁸Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?” 

She answered, “This woman told me, ‘Give up your son. Let’s eat him today. We’ll eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹So we boiled my son and ate him. The next day I told her, ‘Give up your son. We’ll eat him,’ but she hid her son.” 

³⁰When the king heard the woman say this, he tore his clothes ⸤in distress⸥. As he was walking on the city wall, the people saw that he was wearing sackcloth under his clothes. ³¹He said, “May God strike me dead if the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, stays on his ⸤body⸥ today.” 

³²Elisha was sitting in his home with the ⸤city’s⸥ leaders. The king had sent one of his men ahead of him ⸤to Elisha’s house⸥. But before the messenger arrived, Elisha asked the leaders, “Do you see how this murderer has sent someone to tear off my head? When the messenger comes, close the door. Hold it shut because the king will be following him.” 

³³While he was still talking to them, the messenger arrived. He said to Elisha, “This severe famine is from the Lord. Why should I wait any longer for the Lord ⸤to help us⸥?” 

7TH CHAPTER

¹Elisha answered, “Listen to the Lord’s word! This is what the Lord says: About this time tomorrow 24 cups of the best flour will sell for half an ounce of silver in the gateway to Samaria. And 48 cups of barley will sell for half an ounce of silver.” 

²The servant on whose arm the king was…