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 750 pounds or about 340 kilograms of silver, six thousand shekels5:5 That is, about 150 pounds or 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? Have 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 traveled 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 toward 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 75 pounds or 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 forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.
以利沙醫治乃縵
1乃縵是亞蘭王的元帥，甚得亞蘭王器重，因為耶和華藉他使亞蘭人打了許多勝仗。他是英勇的戰士，只是患了痲瘋病。 2亞蘭人襲擊以色列時，曾擄回一個以色列少女，這少女做了乃縵妻子的婢女。 3有一天，她對主母說：「要是我主人去見撒瑪利亞的那位先知就好了！他一定能治好我主人的痲瘋病。」 4乃縵把這以色列少女的話告訴亞蘭王。 5亞蘭王說：「你去吧。我會寫信給以色列王。」於是，乃縵帶了六千八百兩銀子、一千四百兩金子和十套衣服，啟程前往以色列。 6他帶給以色列王的信上寫著：「謹以此信介紹我的臣僕乃縵到你那裡，你要治好他的痲瘋病。」 7以色列王讀完信後，就撕裂衣服說：「難道我是上帝嗎？我能操縱人的生死嗎？這人竟叫我治好一個人的痲瘋病！他只是想找藉口攻打我。」
8上帝的僕人以利沙聽說以色列王撕裂了衣服，便派人去對王說：「你為什麼撕裂衣服呢？讓那人到我這裡來，我要讓他知道以色列有先知。」 9乃縵帶領車輛和馬匹到了以利沙的家，站在門口。 10以利沙派使者出去對乃縵說：「你到約旦河裡洗七次，你的皮膚就會復原，並得到潔淨。」 11乃縵卻怒沖沖地走了。他說：「我以為他一定會出來見我，為我站著求告他的上帝耶和華的名，用手在我的患處晃一晃，治好我的痲瘋病。 12大馬士革的亞巴拿河和法珥法河不比以色列所有的河都好嗎？難道我在那裡洗就不能得到潔淨嗎？」於是，他怒沖沖地轉身走了。 13他的僕人上前對他說：「我父啊，先知若吩咐你做一件大事，難道你不去做嗎？何況他只是說你去洗洗就可以潔淨！」 14乃縵就去約旦河，照上帝僕人的話在河裡洗了七次，他的皮膚復原，像小孩子的一樣，他便潔淨了。
15乃縵率領全體隨從回到上帝的僕人那裡，站在他面前說：「我如今才知道，除了以色列，普天下沒有上帝。請你收下僕人的禮物。」 16以利沙說：「我憑我事奉的永活的耶和華起誓，我決不接受。」乃縵再三請求，他仍不肯接受。 17乃縵說：「你如果不肯接受禮物，請容許僕人用兩頭騾子馱些泥土回去。從此以後，我不再獻燔祭或平安祭給其他神明，只獻給耶和華。 18但有一件事，願耶和華饒恕僕人。我主人進入臨門廟祭拜時，他會扶著我的手，這樣我也得隨著他彎腰。如果我在臨門廟裡彎腰，願耶和華饒恕我。」 19以利沙對他說：「你安心走吧。」
20乃縵剛走不遠，上帝僕人以利沙的侍者基哈西心想：「我主人沒有收亞蘭人乃縵帶來的禮物就讓他走了。我憑永活的耶和華起誓，我一定要追上去，向他要點東西。」 21他便去追趕乃縵。乃縵見後面有人趕來，就下車迎接他，問他：「一切都好嗎？」 22基哈西答道：「一切都好。我主人派我來告訴你，剛才有兩位年輕的先知從以法蓮山區來見他，請你賜給他們七百兩銀子和兩套衣服。」 23乃縵說：「請你拿走一千四百兩銀子吧！」並再三請基哈西接受，然後把一千四百兩銀子裝進兩個袋子，連同兩套衣服，交給他的兩個僕人抬走，基哈西跟在他們後面。 24到了山岡，基哈西接過銀子和衣服，放進屋裡，便讓他們回去了。 25基哈西進去侍立在他主人以利沙面前，以利沙問他：「基哈西，你剛才去哪裡了？」基哈西答道：「僕人哪裡也沒去。」 26以利沙對他說：「那人下車回頭迎接你的時候，我的心不也在那裡嗎？現在豈是接受人家銀子、衣服、橄欖園、葡萄園、牛羊和僕婢的時候？ 27因此，你和你的後代會永遠沾染乃縵的痲瘋病。」基哈西離開以利沙時，患了痲瘋病，皮膚像雪一樣白。
