5Now 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.H5283H8269H6635H4428H758H1419H376H6440H113H5375H3068H5414H8668H758H1368H376H2428H68792Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.H758H3318H1416H7617H776H3478H6996H5291H6440H5283H8023She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."H559H1404H305H113H6440H5030H8111H227H622H68834Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.H935H5046H113H559H1696H5291H776H34785"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 talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.H4428H758H559H3212H935H7971H5612H4428H3478H3212H3947H3027H6235H3603H3701H8337H505H2091H6235H2487H8996The 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."H935H5612H4428H3478H559H5612H935H7971H5283H5650H622H68837As 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!"H4428H3478H7121H5612H7167H899H559H430H4191H2421H2088H7971H622H376H6883H389H3045H7200H5798When 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."H477H376H430H8085H4428H3478H7167H899H7971H4428H559H7167H899H935H3045H3426H5030H34789So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.H5283H935H5483H7393H5975H6607H1004H47710Elisha 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."H477H7971H4397H559H1980H7364H3383H7651H6471H1320H7725H289111But 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.H5283H7107H3212H559H559H3318H3318H5975H7121H8034H3068H430H5130H3027H4725H622H687912Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.H71H549H6554H5104H1834H2896H4325H3478H7364H2891H6437H3212H253413Naaman'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'!"H5650H5066H1696H559H1H5030H1696H1419H1697H6213H637H559H7364H289114So 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.H3381H2881H7651H6471H3383H1697H376H430H1320H7725H1320H6996H5288H289115Then 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. Please accept now a gift from your servant."H7725H376H430H4264H935H5975H6440H559H3045H430H776H3478H3947H1293H565016The 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.H559H3068H2416H6440H5975H3947H6484H3947H398517"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.H5283H559H5414H5650H6776H6505H4853H127H5650H6213H5930H2077H312H430H306818But 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 bow there also--when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant for this."H1697H3068H5545H5650H113H935H1004H7417H7812H8172H3027H7812H1004H7417H7812H1004H7417H3068H5545H5650H169719"Go in peace," Elisha said. After Naaman had traveled some distance,H559H3212H7965H3212H3530H77620Gehazi, 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."H1522H5288H477H376H430H559H113H2820H5283H761H3947H3027H935H3068H2416H7323H310H3947H397221So 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.H1522H7291H310H5283H5283H7200H7323H310H5307H4818H7125H559H796522"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 talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'"H559H7965H113H7971H559H935H2022H669H8147H5288H1121H5030H5414H3603H3701H8147H2487H89923"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.H5283H559H2974H3947H3603H6555H6696H8147H3603H3701H8147H2754H8147H2487H899H5414H8147H5288H5375H644024When 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.H935H6076H3947H3027H6485H1004H582H7971H321225Then he went in and stood before his master Elisha. "Where have you been, Gehazi?" Elisha asked. "Your servant didn't go anywhere," Gehazi answered.H935H5975H113H477H559H370H1522H559H5650H1980H57526But 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, olive groves, vineyards, flocks, herds, or menservants and maidservants?H559H1980H3820H376H2015H4818H7125H6256H3947H3701H3947H899H2132H3754H6629H1241H5650H819827Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever." Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.H6883H5283H1692H2233H5769H3318H6440H6879H7950