2 Reis 5:1-14

Naamã é curado de lepra

1 Naamã, comandante do exército do rei de Arã, era um homem importante para seu senhor e bastante respeitado, pois por meio dele o Senhor dera vitória a Arã. Mas esse guerreiro valente sofria de lepra.*5.1 A palavra hebraica era utilizada para designar vários tipos de doença de pele, não somente lepra; também nos versículos 3, 6, 7, 11 e 27.

2 Ora, tropas de Arã haviam atacado Israel e levado cativa uma menina, que passou a servir à mulher de Naamã. 3 Um dia, ela disse à sua senhora:

— Se o meu senhor procurasse o profeta que está em Samaria, ele o curaria da sua lepra.

4 Naamã foi contar ao seu senhor o que a menina israelita dissera. 5 O rei de Arã respondeu:

— Vá. Eu darei uma carta que você entregará ao rei de Israel.

Então, Naamã partiu, levando consigo dez talentos*5.5 Isto é, cerca de 340 quilogramas. de prata, seis mil siclos*5.5 Isto é, cerca de 69 quilogramas. de ouro e dez mudas de roupas finas. 6 A carta que levou ao rei de Israel dizia: "Com esta carta estou te enviando Naamã, o meu oficial, para que o cures da sua lepra".

7 Assim que o rei de Israel leu a carta, rasgou as vestes e disse:

— Por acaso, sou Deus, capaz de conceder vida ou morte? Por que este homem me envia alguém para que eu o cure da sua lepra? Vejam como ele procura um motivo para se desentender comigo!

8 Quando Eliseu, o homem de Deus, soube que o rei de Israel havia rasgado as suas vestes, mandou-lhe esta mensagem: "Por que rasgaste as tuas vestes? Envia o homem a mim, e ele saberá que há profeta em Israel". 9 Então, Naamã foi com os seus cavalos e carruagens e parou à porta da casa de Eliseu. 10 Eliseu enviou um mensageiro que lhe dissesse: "Vá e lave-se sete vezes no rio Jordão; a sua pele será restaurada, e você ficará purificado".

11 Naamã, porém, ficou indignado e saiu, dizendo:

— Eu estava certo de que ele sairia para me receber, invocaria em pé o nome do Senhor, o seu Deus, moveria a mão sobre o lugar afetado e me curaria da lepra. 12 Não são os rios Abana e Farfar, em Damasco, melhores do que todas as águas de Israel? Será que eu não poderia me lavar neles e ser purificado?

Deu meia-volta e foi embora dali furioso.

13 Os seus servos foram até ele e lhe disseram:

— Meu pai,*5.13 Pai pode ter o sentido de ancestral, líder ou fundador. se o profeta tivesse pedido alguma coisa difícil, o senhor não faria? Muito mais quando ele apenas diz: "Lave-se e seja purificado!".

14 Assim, ele desceu ao Jordão, mergulhou sete vezes conforme a ordem do homem de Deus e foi purificado; a sua pele tornou-se como a de uma criança.

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.*5.1 with: Heb. before*5.1 honourable: or, gracious: Heb. lifted up, or, accepted in countenance*5.1 deliverance: or, victory 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.*5.2 waited…: Heb. was before 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.*5.3 with: Heb. before*5.3 recover: Heb. gather in 4 And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel. 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.*5.5 with…: Heb. in his hand 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. 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.

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.

9 So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. 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. 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.*5.11 I thought: Heb. I said*5.11 I thought…: or, I said with myself, He will surely come out, etc: Heb. I said*5.11 strike: Heb. move up and down 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.*5.12 Abana: or, Amana 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? 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.