2 Kings 5–8

Naaman Is Healed of a Skin Disease

5Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a very important man in the eyes of his master. And he was highly respected. That’s because the Lord had helped him win the battle over Aram’s enemies. He was a brave soldier. But he had a skin disease.

²Companies of soldiers from Aram had marched out. They had captured a young girl from Israel. She became a servant of Naaman’s wife. ³She spoke to the woman she was serving. She said, “I wish my master would go and see the prophet who is in Samaria. He would heal my master of his skin disease.”

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

⁵“I think you should go,” the king of Aram replied. “I’ll give you a letter to take to the king of Israel.”

So Naaman left. He took 750 pounds of silver with him. He also took 150 pounds of gold. And he took ten sets of clothes. ⁶He carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “I’m sending my servant Naaman to you with this letter. I want you to heal him of his skin disease.”

⁷The king of Israel read the letter. As soon as he did, he tore his royal robes. He said, “Am I God? Can I kill people and bring them back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be healed of his skin disease? He must be trying to pick a fight with me!”

⁸Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes. So he sent the king a message. It said, “Why have you torn your robes? Tell the man to come to me. Then he will know there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹So Naaman went to see Elisha. He took his horses and chariots with him. He stopped at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰Elisha sent a messenger out to him. The messenger said, “Go. Wash yourself in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed. You will be pure and clean again.”

¹¹But Naaman went away angry. He said, “I was sure he would come out to me. I thought he would stand there and pray to the Lord his God. I thought he would wave his hand over my skin. Then I would be healed. ¹²And what about the Abana and Pharpar rivers of Damascus? Aren’t they better than any of the rivers of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be made pure and clean?” So he turned and went away. He was burning with anger.

¹³Naaman’s servants went over to him. They said, “You are like a father to us. What if the prophet Elisha had told you to do some great thing? Wouldn’t you have done it? But he only said, ‘Wash yourself. Then you will be pure and clean.’ You should be even more willing to do that!”

¹⁴So Naaman went down to the Jordan River. He dipped himself in it seven times. He did exactly what the man of God had told him to do. Then his skin was made pure again. It became clean like the skin of a young boy.

¹⁵Naaman and all of his attendants went back to the man of God. Naaman stood in front of Elisha. He said, “Now I know that there is no God anywhere in the whole world except in Israel. Please accept a gift from me.”

¹⁶The prophet answered, “I serve the Lord. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that I won’t accept a gift from you.” Even though Naaman begged him to take it, Elisha wouldn’t.

¹⁷“I can see that you won’t accept a gift from me,” said Naaman. “But please let me have some soil from your land. Give me as much as a pair of mules can carry. Here’s why I want it. I won’t ever bring burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god again. I’ll bring them only to the Lord. I’ll worship him on his own soil.

¹⁸“But there is one thing I hope the Lord will forgive me for. From time to time my master will enter the temple to bow down to his god Rimmon. When he does, he’ll lean on my arm. Then I’ll have to bow down there also. I hope the Lord will forgive me for that.”

¹⁹“Go in peace,” Elisha said.

Naaman started out on his way.

²⁰Gehazi was the servant of Elisha, the man of God. Gehazi said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman from Aram. He should have accepted the gift he brought. I’m going to run after Naaman. I’m going to get something from him. And that’s just as sure as the Lord is alive.”

²¹Gehazi hurried after Naaman. Naaman saw him running toward him. So he got down from the chariot to greet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.

²²“Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me. They’ve come from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them 75 pounds of silver and two sets of clothes.’ ”

²³“I wish you would take twice as much silver,” said Naaman. He begged Gehazi to accept it. Then Naaman tied up 150 pounds of silver in two bags. He also gave Gehazi two sets of clothes. He gave all of it to two of his own servants. They carried it ahead of Gehazi.

²⁴Gehazi came to the hill where Elisha lived. Then the servants handed the things over to Gehazi. He put them away in Elisha’s house. He sent the men away, and they left. ²⁵Then he went back inside the house. He stood in front of his master Elisha.

“Gehazi, where have you been?” Elisha asked.

“I didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.

²⁶But Elisha said to him, “Didn’t my spirit go with you? I know that the man got down from his chariot to greet you. Is this the time for you to accept money or clothes? Is it the time to take olive groves, vineyards, flocks or herds? Is it the time to accept male and female servants? ²⁷You and your children after you will have Naaman’s skin disease forever.”

Then Gehazi left Elisha. And he had Naaman’s skin disease. His skin was as white as snow.

An Ax Blade Floats

6The company of the prophets spoke to Elisha. They said, “Look. The place where we meet with you is too small for us. ²We would like to go to the Jordan River. Each of us can get some wood there. We want to build a place there for us to live in.”

Elisha said, “Go.”

³Then one of them said, “Won’t you please come with us?”

“I will,” Elisha replied. ⁴And he went with them.

They went to the Jordan. There they began to cut down trees. ⁵One of them was cutting a tree down. The iron blade of his ax fell into the water. “Master!” he cried out. “This ax was borrowed!”

⁶The man of God asked, “Where did the blade fall?” He showed him the place. Then Elisha cut a stick and threw it there. That made the iron blade float. ⁷“Take it out of the water,” he said. So the man reached out and took it.

Elisha Makes the Soldiers of Aram Blind

⁸The king of Aram was at war with Israel. He talked things over with his officers. Then he said, “I’m going to set up my camp in a certain place.”

⁹The man of God sent a message to the king of Israel. It said, “Try to stay away from that place. Aram’s army is going to be down there.” ¹⁰The king of Israel checked on the place the man of God had told him about. Time after time Elisha warned the king. So the king was on guard in those places.

¹¹All of that made the king of Aram very angry. He sent for his officers. He said to them, “Tell me. Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?”

¹²“You are my king and master,” said one of his officers. “None of us is on Israel’s side. But Elisha is a prophet in Israel. He tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your own bedroom.”

¹³“Go and find out where he is,” the king ordered. “Then I can send my men and capture him.” The report came back. It said, “He’s in Dothan.”

¹⁴Then the king sent horses and chariots and a strong army there. They went at night and surrounded the city.

¹⁵The servant of the man of God got up the next morning. He went out early. He saw that an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “My master!” the servant said. “What can we do?”

¹⁶“Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

¹⁷Elisha prayed, “Lord, open my servant’s eyes so he can see.” Then the Lord opened his eyes. He looked up and saw the hills. He saw that Elisha was surrounded by horses and chariots. Fire was all around them.

¹⁸Aram’s army came down toward Elisha. Then he prayed to the Lord. He said, “Make these soldiers blind.” So the Lord made them blind, just as Elisha had prayed.

¹⁹Elisha told them, “This isn’t the right road. This isn’t the right city. Follow me. I’ll lead you to the man you are looking for.” He led them to Samaria.

²⁰They entered the city. Then Elisha said, “Lord, open the eyes of these men. Help them see again.” Then the Lord opened their eyes. They looked around. And there they were, inside Samaria!

²¹The king of Israel saw them. So he asked Elisha, “Should I kill them? I need your advice. You are like a father to me. Should I kill them?”

²²“Don’t kill them,” he answered. “Would you kill men you have captured with your own sword or bow? Put some food and water in front of them. Then they can eat and drink. They can go back to their master.”

²³So he prepared a big dinner for them. After they had finished eating and drinking, he sent them away. They returned to their master. So the companies of soldiers from Aram stopped attacking Israel’s territory.

Aram’s Army Attacks Samaria

²⁴Some time later, Ben-Hadad gathered his entire army together. Ben-Hadad was the king of Aram. His army marched up and surrounded Samaria. Then they attacked it.

²⁵There wasn’t enough food anywhere in the city. It was surrounded for so long that people had to weigh out two pounds of silver for a donkey’s head. They had to weigh out two ounces of silver for half a pint of seed pods.

²⁶One day the king of Israel was walking on top of the wall. A woman cried out to him, “You are my king and master. Please help me!”

²⁷The king replied, “If the Lord doesn’t help you, where can I get help for you? From the threshing floor? From the winepress?” ²⁸He continued, “What’s wrong?”

She answered, “A woman said to me, ‘Give up your son. Then we can eat him today. Tomorrow we’ll eat my son.’ ²⁹So we cooked my son. Then we ate him. The next day I said to her, ‘Give up your son. Then we can eat him.’ But she had hidden him.” …