Na’amans helbredelse
1Den aramæiske konges hærfører hed Na’aman. Han var højt agtet og havde stor indflydelse, fordi Herren havde givet ham en lang række militære sejre. Men han led af en uhelbredelig hudsygdom.
2Nu var det sådan, at Na’amans kone havde en tjenestepige, der som lille var blevet bortført af nogle aramæiske soldater under et plyndringstogt i Israel.
3En dag sagde den unge pige til sin frue: „Jeg ville ønske min herre kunne besøge profeten i Samaria. Jeg er sikker på, at han kan helbrede ham.”
4Na’aman gik derefter hen til kongen og fortalte ham, hvad pigen havde sagt. 5„Tag endelig af sted,” udbrød kongen. „Jeg skriver straks en anbefaling, som du kan aflevere til Israels konge.”
Så tog Na’aman af sted, og han havde rigeligt med gaver med sig—ti sække med sølv, to sække med guld5,5 Ordret: „ti talenter sølv og 6000 shekel guld”. En talent var ca. 34 kg og en shekel ca. 11 gram. og ti sæt smukke festklæder. 6Han ankom til Israels konge og rakte ham brevet, hvor der stod: „Jeg sender hermed min embedsmand Na’aman til dig, for at du kan helbrede ham for hans sygdom.”
7„Hvordan skulle jeg kunne helbrede nogen,” jamrede kongen. „Er jeg måske Gud? Er jeg herre over liv og død? Hvad er han ude på? Er det her et påskud til at angribe os igen?” I ren og skær fortvivlelse rev han sit tøj i stykker.
8Da profeten Elisa hørte om kongens desperate reaktion, sendte han bud til ham. „Hvorfor er du så fortvivlet? Send bare Na’aman til mig—så skal han få at se, at der stadig findes en Guds profet i Israel.”
9Na’aman kom så kørende til Elisas hus med sine heste og vogne. 10Da han gjorde holdt foran døren, sendte Elisa en tjener ud til ham med følgende besked: „Tag ned til Jordanfloden og bad dig syv gange i den, så bliver du helbredt for din hudsygdom.” 11Na’aman blev dybt fornærmet over en så ugæstfri behandling og kørte sin vej. „Han kom ikke engang ud for at hilse på mig,” mumlede han vredt. „Jeg havde forestillet mig, at han ville svinge sin hånd over det syge sted og påkalde sin Gud og på den måde helbrede mig. 12Er vores egne floder, Abana og Parpar, måske ikke bedre end samtlige floder i Israel? Hvis jeg bare skulle bade mig i en flod, kunne jeg lige så godt være blevet hjemme.” Na’aman kørte altså derfra i vrede.
13Men hans tjenere forsøgte at tale ham til fornuft. „Hvad nu hvis profeten havde befalet dig at gøre et eller andet vanskeligt?” spurgte de. „Ville du så ikke have gjort det? Hvorfor så ikke gøre, som han siger? Bad dig i floden og bliv helbredt!”
14Na’aman kørte så ned til Jordanfloden og dukkede sig ned under vandet syv gange, sådan som profeten havde sagt—og hans hud blev som en nyfødts—han var helbredt! 15Så skyndte han sig med hele sit følge tilbage til profetens hus. Na’aman trådte frem for Elisa og sagde: „Nu ved jeg, at der ikke findes nogen gud i hele verden som Israels Gud. Tillad mig at give dig en gave som en ringe tak.”
16Men Elisa svarede: „Så sandt Herren lever, den Gud, som jeg tjener: Jeg vil ikke tage imod noget fra dig.”
Skønt Na’aman forsøgte at overtale ham, holdt han fast ved sit afslag. 17„Som du vil,” sagde Na’aman. „Men tillad mig at læsse lidt jord på et par muldyr og tage det med hjem. Fra nu af vil jeg nemlig aldrig ofre til nogen anden Gud end Herren. 18Og jeg håber, at Herren vil tilgive mig, når jeg følger min herre, kongen, ind i Rimmons tempel derhjemme og knæler for guden, for kongen støtter sig altid til mig, når han knæler ned.”
19„Du kan tage af sted med fred i sindet,” sagde Elisa, og så tog Na’aman af sted.
Gehazis grådighed efter penge
20Men Gehazi, Elisas tjener, tænkte: „Hvorfor i alverden lod min herre denne aramæer rejse uden at tage imod nogen af de gaver, han havde medbragt? Så sandt Herren lever: Jeg vil løbe efter ham, for jeg vil gerne have noget.”
21Inden længe indhentede Gehazi ham. Da Na’aman fik øje på ham bagude, sprang han ned fra sin vogn og løb ham i møde.
„Er alt vel?” spurgte han.
22„Jo tak,” svarede Gehazi, „men min herre sendte mig af sted til dig for at sige, at der netop er ankommet to profetelever fra Efraims bjergland—og at han ikke har noget imod at modtage en sæk sølv og to sæt tøj, som han kan give dem.”
23„Det manglede bare,” udbrød Na’aman. „Men lad mig give dig dobbelt så meget sølv.” Så gav han Gehazi to sæt tøj og to sække med sølv, som han befalede to af sine tjenere at bære for ham. 24Men da de kom til bjerget, hvor Elisa og Gehazi boede, overtog Gehazi sækkene og sendte tjenerne tilbage. Så gemte han tingene i sit eget hus.
25Da han kom tilbage til sin herre, spurgte Elisa: „Hvor har du været, Gehazi?”
„Ingen steder, herre,” svarede han.
26„Tror du ikke, jeg ved, hvad der foregik?” spurgte Elisa. „Jeg så dig for mit indre øje, da en mand sprang ned fra sin vogn for at gå dig i møde. Nu har du fået penge og kan købe dig fornemt tøj, olivenlunde, vingårde, småkvæg, hornkvæg og slaver. 27Men Na’amans sygdom vil for altid hænge ved dig og dine efterkommere.”
Da Gehazi gik, var hans hud hvid som sne af udslæt.
Naaman healed of leprosy
1Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.5:1 The Hebrew for leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin; also in verses 3, 6, 7, 11 and 27.
2Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3She said to her mistress, ‘If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’
4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5‘By all means, go,’ the king of Aram replied. ‘I will send a letter to the king of Israel.’ So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents5:5 That is, about 340 kilograms of silver, six thousand shekels5:5 That is, about 69 kilograms of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: ‘With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.’
7As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, ‘Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!’
8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: ‘Why have you torn your robes? Make the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.’ 9So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, ‘Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.’
11But Naaman went away angry and said, ‘I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?’ So he turned and went off in a rage.
13Naaman’s servants went to him and said, ‘My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, “Wash and be cleansed”!’ 14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, ‘Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.’
16The prophet answered, ‘As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.’ And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
17‘If you will not,’ said Naaman, ‘please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: when my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also – when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.’
19‘Go in peace,’ Elisha said.
After Naaman had travelled some distance, 20Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, ‘My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.’
21So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running towards him, he got down from the chariot to meet 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 from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent5:22 That is, about 34 kilograms of silver and two sets of clothing.” ’
23‘By all means, take two talents,’ said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.
25When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, ‘Where have you been, Gehazi?’
‘Your servant didn’t go anywhere,’ Gehazi answered.
26But Elisha said to him, ‘Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes – or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants for ever.’ Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous – it had become as white as snow.
