2 Kings

Continues the story of the divided kingdoms, their decline, and eventual exile.

Chapter 5

1 Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.

Now Naaman, an important leader for the Syrian king, was highly respected because he helped save Syria with God's help. He was very brave, but he had a skin disease called leprosy.

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.

The Syrians left in groups and took a young girl from Israel as a captive. She served 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.

She told her boss, "I wish my lord was with the prophet in Samaria! He could heal him from his skin disease."

4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.

And he entered, and shared with his master, saying, This is what the Israeli girl said.

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.

The Syrian king said, "Go ahead, and I'll send a message to the Israeli king." So, he left and brought along ten pounds of silver, six thousand gold coins, and ten sets of clothes.

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.

He gave the message to the king, saying, "When you receive this letter, I am sending Naaman, my servant, to you so that he can be cured of his skin disease.

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.

When the king read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, "Am I God to decide life and death? Why does this person send me a message to heal someone from leprosy? They must be looking for a reason to fight me."

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.

So when Elisha, a man of God, heard that the king of Israel tore his clothes, he sent a message to the king asking why he did that. He invited the king to come to him, so the king could discover 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.

Naaman arrived with his horses and chariot, standing at Elisha's house entrance.

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.

Elisha told a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan River seven times. This would make his skin healthy again and he would 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.

But Naaman got angry and left, thinking, He should definitely come out, stand, say the LORD's name, put his hand on me, and heal my skin disease.

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.

"Are Abana and Pharpar, Damascus's rivers, not better than all Israel's waters? Can't I clean myself in them?" He got angry and left.

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?

His helpers approached him and asked, "Dad, if the prophet told you to do a big task, wouldn't you have done it? So, why not listen when he says, 'Wash yourself and become 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.

Then he went down and submerged himself seven times in the Jordan River, as the man of God had said. Afterward, his skin returned to that of a young child's, and he became 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.

He went back to the man of God with everyone in his group, then they stood in front of him. He said, "I see now that there is no god anywhere except in Israel. So please, accept my blessing."

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.

But he replied, "I swear by God, who I serve, I won't accept anything." He tried to persuade him to accept 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.

Naaman asked, "Can't I please take a load of dirt as a reminder? From now on, I won't offer any sacrifices to other gods. I will only worship 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.

Please forgive me, Lord, as I help my master at the temple of Rimmon. When he leans on me and I bow in prayer there, may you forgive me for doing this.

19 And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him a little way.

He told him, "Go in peace." Then he left a short distance away.

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.

But Gehazi, Elisha's servant, said, "My master didn't accept what Naaman, the Syrian, offered. But I swear by God, I will chase him and get something from 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?

Gehazi chased after Naaman. When Naaman noticed Gehazi running towards him, he got off his horse to greet him and asked, "Is everything okay?"

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.

He said, "Everything is fine. My boss told me that two young prophets' sons are coming from Mount Ephraim right now. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothes."

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.

Naaman told the person to be happy and took two bags of silver. He insisted and put the silver in two bags along with extra clothes, then gave it to two servants who carried it for 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.

When he reached the tower, he grabbed the items from their hands and put them in a house. Then he released the people, and they left.

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.

But he entered and stood before his boss. And Elisha asked him, "Where did you come from, Gehazi?" He replied, "Your servant didn't go anywhere."

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?

He asked, "Weren't you with me when the man left his chariot to meet you?" Do you really think this is the right time to get money, clothes, olive groves, grape fields, animals like sheep and cows, and people like male and female helpers?

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.

So, because you disobeyed, you and your family will have Naaman's skin disease forever. When he left, he was as white as snow, showing he was a leper.

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