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Chapter 5 |
| 1 | Now Naaman,
captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and
honorable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was
also a mighty man in valor, but he was a leper. |
| 2 | And the
Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land
of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife. |
| 3 | And she
said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in
Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy. |
| 4 | And one went
in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land
of Israel. |
| 5
| And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a
letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents
of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
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| 6 | And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this
letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to
thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy. |
| 7 | And it came to
pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes,
and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me
to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he
seeketh a quarrel against me. |
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8 | And it was so, when Elisha the man of
God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the
king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and
he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel. |
| 9 | So Naaman came
with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of
Elisha. |
| 10
| And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash
in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt
be clean. |
| 11
| But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I
thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the
LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
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| 12 | Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the
waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went
away in a rage. |
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13 | And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and
said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou
not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be
clean? |
| 14
| Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in
Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again
like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. |
| 15 | And he
returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before
him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but
in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
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| 16 | But he said, As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive
none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused. |
| 17 | And Naaman
said, Shall there not then, I pray thee, be given to thy servant two mules'
burden of earth? for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering
nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto the LORD. |
| 18 | In this
thing the LORD pardon thy servant, that when my master goeth into the house of
Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the
house of Rimmon: when I bow down myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon
thy servant in this thing. |
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19 | And he said unto him, Go in peace. So
he departed from him a little way. |
| 20 | But Gehazi, the servant of
Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared Naaman this Syrian,
in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: but, as the LORD liveth, I
will run after him, and take somewhat of him. |
| 21 | So Gehazi
followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running after him, he lighted
down from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well? |
| 22 | And he
said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there be
come to me from mount Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets: give
them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of garments. |
| 23 |
And Naaman said, Be content, take two talents. And he urged him, and bound two
talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of garments, and laid them upon
two of his servants; and they bare them before him. |
| 24 | And when he
came to the tower, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the
house: and he let the men go, and they departed. |
| 25 | But he went
in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou,
Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither. |
| 26 | And he said
unto him, Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his
chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments,
and oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and
maidservants? |
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27 | The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto
thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as
white as snow. |
