Naamani Achiritsidwa Khate Lake
1Tsono Naamani anali mtsogoleri wa gulu lankhondo a mfumu ya ku Aramu. Iye anali munthu wodalirika pamaso pa mbuye wake ndipo anali wokondedwa kwambiri, chifukwa kudzera mwa iye Yehova anapambanitsa Aaramu. Anali msilikali wolimba mtima, koma anali ndi khate.
2Tsono magulu a Aaramu anapita ku nkhondo ndipo anakagwira ukapolo mtsikana wamngʼono wa ku Israeli, ndipo ankatumikira mkazi wa Naamani. 3Mtsikanayo anawuza mkazi wa Naamani kuti, “Mbuye wanga akanapita kukaonana ndi mneneri amene amakhala ku Samariya, akanachiritsidwa khate lawo.”
4Naamani anapita kwa mbuye wake kukamuwuza zomwe mtsikana wochokera ku Israeli ananena. 5Mfumu ya ku Aramu inayankha kuti, “Iwe uyenera kupita. Ine ndilembera kalata mfumu ya ku Israeli.” Choncho Naamani ananyamuka kupita ku Samariya, atatenga ndalama za siliva 30,000, ndalama zagolide 6,000 ndiponso zovala khumi za pa chikondwerero. 6Kalata imene anapita nayo kwa mfumu ya ku Israeli inali ndi mawu awa: “Taonani, ndikutumiza Naamani mtumiki wanga pamodzi ndi kalatayi kwa inu kuti mumuchiritse khate lake.”
7Mfumu ya ku Israeli itangowerenga kalatayo, inangʼamba mkanjo wake ndipo inati, “Kodi ine ndine Mulungu? Kodi ndingathe kupha kapena kupereka moyo? Chifukwa chiyani munthu ameneyu wanditumizira munthu woti ndimuchiritse khate lake? Taonani, iyeyu akungofuna kuti apeze chifukwa choyambanirana nane!”
8Elisa munthu wa Mulungu atamva kuti mfumu ya ku Israeli yangʼamba mkanjo wake, anatumiza uthenga uwu: “Chifukwa chiyani mwangʼamba mkanjo wanu? Mutumizeni munthuyo kwa ine ndipo iyeyo adzadziwa kuti muli mneneri mu Israeli.” 9Choncho Naamani anapita pamodzi ndi akavalo ake ndi magaleta nakayima pa khomo la nyumba ya Elisa. 10Elisa anatumiza uthenga kwa iye woti, “Pita, kasambe kasanu ndi kawiri mu mtsinje wa Yorodani, thupi lako lidzachira ndi kukhalanso monga kale ndipo udzayeretsedwa.”
11Koma Naamani anachoka mokwiya ndipo anati, “Ine ndimaganiza kuti munthuyu atuluka ndipo ayimirira nayitana dzina la Yehova Mulungu wake, nayendetsa dzanja lake pamwamba pa nthendayi ndi kundichiritsa khate langa. 12Kodi Abana ndi Faripara, mitsinje ya ku Damasiko, siyoposa mitsinje ina yonse ya ku Israeli? Kodi sindikanasamba mʼmitsinje imeneyo ndi kuyeretsedwa?” Kotero anatembenuka nachoka ali wokwiya kwambiri.
13Antchito ake anamuyandikira namufunsa kuti, “Abambo anga, mneneri akanakulamulani chinthu chachikulu, kodi inu simukanachita? Nanga nʼzovuta motani zomwe mneneri wanena kuti ‘Kasambeni ndipo mudzayeretsedwa!’ ” 14Choncho Naamani anapita ku Yorodani nakadzimiza mʼmadzimo kasanu nʼkawiri, monga momwe munthu wa Mulungu anamuwuzira. Thupi lake linakhalanso monga kale ndipo linakhala losalala ngati la kamnyamata.
15Pamenepo Naamani ndi atumiki ake onse anabwerera kwa munthu wa Mulungu uja. Naamani anayima pamaso pa Elisa ndipo anati, “Tsopano ndikudziwa kuti kulibe Mulungu wina pa dziko lonse lapansi koma mu Israeli mokha. Chonde, tsopano landirani mphatso ya mtumiki wanu.”
16Mneneri anayankha kuti, “Pali Yehova wamoyo, amene ine ndimamutumikira, sindidzalandira zimenezi.” Ndipo ngakhale Naamani anamukakamiza, iye anakanabe.
17Naamani anati, “Ngati inu simulandira, chonde lolani mtumiki wanu kuti atengeko dothi lokwanira kunyamula abulu awiri, popeza mtumiki wanu sadzaperekanso nsembe yopsereza ndi nsembe zina kwa mulungu wina koma Yehova. 18Koma Yehova andikhululukire ine pa chinthu ichi: Pamene mbuye wanga alowa mʼnyumba ya mapemphero ya Rimoni ine ndimapita naye ndipo ndimakagwada naye limodzi. Pamene ndikugwada mʼnyumba ya mapemphero ya Rimoni, Yehova azikhululukira mtumiki wanu pa chinthu chimenechi.”
19Elisa anati, “Pita mu mtendere.”
Choncho anachoka nayenda pangʼono. 20Koma Gehazi, mtumiki wa Elisa munthu wa Mulungu, anaganiza mu mtima mwake kuti, “Taonani, mbuye wanga wamulekerera Naamani Mwaramuyu, posalandira zomwe anabweretsa. Pali Yehova wamoyo, ine ndimuthamangira ndipo ndikatengako zinthu kwa iye.”
21Choncho Gehazi anamuthamangira Naamani uja. Naamani ataona Gehazi akumuthamangira, anatsika mʼgaleta lake ndi kukakumana naye. Iye anafunsa Gehazi kuti, “Kodi nʼkwabwino?”
22Gehazi anayankha kuti, “Inde nʼkwabwino. Mbuye wanga wandituma kuti ndidzakuwuzeni kuti, ‘Anyamata awiri mwa ana a aneneri angondipeza kumene kuchokera ku dziko la mapiri la Efereimu. Chonde apatseniko ndalama za siliva 3,000 ndi zovala ziwiri za pa phwando.’ ”
23Naamani anati, “Kuli bwino utenge ndalama zasiliva 6,000.” Iye anakakamiza Gehazi kuti alandire, ndipo kenaka anamanga matumba awiri a ndalama zasiliva pamodzi ndi zovala zinayi za pa mphwando. Naamani anazipereka kwa antchito ake awiri ndipo anazinyamula nayenda patsogolo pa Gehazi. 24Gehazi atafika ku phiri, anawalanda antchito aja zinthu zija nazibisa mʼnyumbamo. Iye anawawuza anthu aja kuti abwerere ndipo anapita. 25Kenaka analowa mʼnyumbamo nakayima pamaso pa mbuye wake Elisa.
Elisa anafunsa kuti, “Kodi Gehazi unali kuti?”
Iye anayankha kuti, “Mtumiki wanu sanapite kwina kulikonse.”
26Koma Elisa anati kwa Gehazi, “Kodi mzimu wanga sunali nawe pamene munthu uja anatsika mʼgaleta lake ndi kukumana nawe? Kodi ino ndi nthawi yolandira ndalama, kapena kulandira zovala, mitengo ya olivi, minda ya mpesa, nkhosa, ngʼombe kapena antchito aamuna kapena antchito aakazi? 27Khate la Naamani lidzakumatirira iwe ndi zidzukulu zako mpaka muyaya.” Ndipo Gehazi anachoka pamaso pa Elisa ali ndi khate lotuwa ngati phulusa.
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.
