2 Kings 5–8

Naaman’s Disease Healed

5Naaman, ^fcommander of the army for the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight ^gand highly regarded ^hbecause through him, the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man was a brave warrior, but he had a skin disease. ⁱ

²Aram had gone on raids ^jand brought back from the land of Israel a young girl who served Naaman’s wife. ³She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to ^kthe prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his skin disease.”

⁴So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said. ⁵Therefore, the king of Aram said, “Go and I will send a letter with you to the king of Israel.”

So he went and took with him 750 pounds ^lof silver, 150 pounds ^mof gold, and 10 changes of clothes. ⁿ⁶He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read:

When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes ^oand asked, “Am I God, ^pkilling and giving life that this man expects me to cure a man of his skin disease? Think it over and you will see that he is only picking a fight with ^qme.” ^r

⁸When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel tore his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Have him come to me, and he will know there is a prophet in Israel.” ^s9So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰Then Elisha sent him a messenger, ^twho said, “Go wash ^useven times ^vin the Jordan and your flesh will be restored and you will be clean.”

¹¹But Naaman got angry and left, saying, “I was telling myself: He will surely come out, stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and will wave his hand ^wover the spot and cure the skin disease. ¹²Aren’t Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? ^xCould I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and left in a rage. ^y

¹³But his servants approached and said to him, “My father, ^zif the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more should you do it when he tells you, ‘Wash and be clean’?” ¹⁴So Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the command of the man of God. Then his skin was restored and became like the skin of a small boy, and he was clean. ^a

¹⁵Then Naaman and his whole company went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “I know there’s no God in the whole world except in Israel. ^bTherefore, please accept a gift ^cfrom your servant.”

¹⁶But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, ^dI stand before Him. I will not accept it.” ^eNaaman urged him to accept it, but he refused.

¹⁷Naaman responded, “If not, please let your servant be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry, ^ffor your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but Yahweh. ^g18However, in a particular matter may the Lord pardon your servant: When my master, the king of Aram, goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship and I, as his right-hand man, ^hibow in the temple of Rimmon—when I bow ^jin the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.”

¹⁹So he said to him, “Go in peace.” ^k

Gehazi’s Greed Punished

After Naaman had traveled a short distance from Elisha, ²⁰Gehazi, ^lthe attendant of Elisha the man of God, thought: My master has let this Aramean Naaman off lightly by not accepting from him what he brought. As the Lord lives, ^mI will run after him and get something from him.

²¹So Gehazi pursued Naaman. When Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

²²Gehazi said, “It’s all right. ⁿMy master has sent me to say, ‘I have just now discovered that two young men from the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them 75 pounds ^oof silver and two changes of clothes.’ ” ^p

²³But Naaman insisted, “Please, accept 150 pounds.” ^qHe urged Gehazi and then packed 150 pounds ^rof silver in two bags with two changes of clothes. Naaman gave them to two of his young men who carried them ahead of Gehazi. ²⁴When Gehazi came to the hill, ^sthe took the gifts from them and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they left.

²⁵Gehazi came and stood by his master. “Where did you go, Gehazi?” Elisha asked him.

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” he replied.

²⁶But Elisha questioned him, “Wasn’t my spirit ^uthere ^vwhen the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to accept money and clothes, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves? ²⁷Therefore, Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you and your descendants forever.” So Gehazi went out from his presence diseased—white as snow. ^w

The Floating Ax Head

6The sons of the prophets ^xsaid to Elisha, “Please notice that the place where we live under your supervision ^yis too small for us. ²Please let us go to the Jordan where we can each get a log and can build ourselves a place to live there.”

“Go,” he said.

³Then one said, “Please come with your servants.”

“I’ll come,” he answered.

⁴So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. ⁵As one of them was cutting down a tree, the iron ax head fell into the water, and he cried out, “Oh, my master, it was borrowed!” ^z

⁶Then the man of God ^aasked, “Where did it fall?”

When he showed him the place, the man of God cut a stick, threw it there, and made the iron float. ^b7Then he said, “Pick it up.” So he reached out and took it.

The Aramean War

⁸When the king of Aram ^cwas waging war against Israel, he conferred with his servants, “My camp will be at such and such a place.”

⁹But the man of God ^dsent word to the king of Israel: “Be careful passing by this place, for the Arameans are going down there.” ¹⁰Consequently, the king of Israel sent word to the place the man of God had told him about. The man of God repeatedly ^ewarned the king, so the king would be on his guard.

¹¹The king of Aram was enraged because of this matter, and he called his servants and demanded of them, “Tell me, which one of us is for the king of Israel?”

¹²One of his servants said, “No one, my lord the king. Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel even the words you speak in your bedroom.”

¹³So the king said, “Go and see where he is, so I can send men to capture him.”

When he was told, “Elisha is in Dothan,” ^f14he sent horses, chariots, and a massive army there. They went by night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵When the servant of the man of God got up early and went out, he discovered an army with horses and chariots surrounding the city. So he asked Elisha, “Oh, my master, what are we to do?”

¹⁶Elisha said, “Don’t be afraid, ^gfor those who are with us outnumber those who are with them.” ^h

¹⁷Then Elisha prayed, “Lord, please open his eyes and let him see.” So the Lord opened the servant’s eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire ⁱall around Elisha.

¹⁸When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord, “Please strike this nation with blindness.” So He struck them with blindness, ^jaccording to Elisha’s word. ¹⁹Then Elisha said to them, “This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and I will take you to the man you’re looking for.” And he led them to Samaria. ^k20When they entered Samaria, Elisha said, “Lord, open these men’s eyes and let them see.” So the Lord opened their eyes. They looked and discovered they were in Samaria.

²¹When the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, “My father, ^lshould I kill them? I will kill them.”

²²Elisha replied, “Don’t kill them. Do you kill those you have captured with your sword or your bow? Set food and water in front of them so they can eat and drink and go to their master.” ^m

²³So he prepared a great feast for them. When they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. The Aramean raiders ⁿdid not come into Israel’s land again.

²⁴Some time later, King Ben-hadad ^oof Aram brought all his military units together and marched up to besiege Samaria. ²⁵So there was a great famine ^pin Samaria, and they continued the siege against it until a donkey’s head sold for 80 silver shekels, ^qand a cup ^rof dove’s dung ^ssold for five silver shekels. ^tu

²⁶As the king of Israel was passing by on the wall, a woman cried out to him, “My lord the king, help!”

²⁷He answered, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor or the winepress?” ^v28Then the king asked her, “What’s the matter?” ^w

She said, “This woman said to me, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him today. Then we will eat my son tomorrow.’ ²⁹So we boiled my son and ate him, and I said to her the next day, ‘Give up your son, and we will eat him,’ ^xbut she has hidden her son.”

³⁰When the king heard the woman’s words, he tore his clothes. ^yThen, as he was passing by on the wall, the people saw that there was sackcloth ^zunder his clothes next to his skin. ³¹He announced, “May God punish me and do so severely ^aif the head of Elisha son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today.”

³²Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders ^bwere sitting with him. The king sent a man ahead of him, but before the messenger got to him, Elisha said to the elders, “Do you see how this murderer ^chas sent someone to cut off my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door to keep him out. Isn’t the sound of his master’s feet behind him?”

³³While Elisha was still speaking with them, the messenger ^dcame down to him. Then he said, “This disaster is from the Lord. Why should I wait for the Lord any longer?” ^e

Aram Defeated

7Elisha replied, “Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Lord says: ‘About this time tomorrow at the gate of Samaria, six quarts ^fof fine meal will sell for a shekel ^gand 12…