2 Reis 5

1 Naaman, prince of the chivalry of the king of Syria, was a great man, and worshipped with his lord; for by him the Lord gave health or victory to Syria; soothly he was a strong man and rich, but he was leprous.

2 Forsooth thieves went out of Syria, and led away as prisoner from the land of Israel a little damsel, that was in the service of the wife of Naaman.

3 And she said to her lady, Would God, that my lord had been at the prophet that is in Samaria; soothly the prophet would have cured him of [the] leprosy that he hath.

4 Therefore Naaman entered to his lord, and told to him, and said, A damsel of the land of Israel spake so and so.

5 Therefore the king of Syria said to him, Go thou, and I shall send letters to the king of Israel. And when Naaman had gone forth, and had taken with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand golden plates, either florins, and ten changings of clothes,

6 he brought letters to the king of Israel by these words; When thou hast taken this epistle, know thou, that I have sent to thee Naaman, my servant, that thou cure him of his leprosy.

7 And when the king of Israel had read the letters, he rent his clothes, and said, Whether I am God, that may slay and quicken, for this king sent to me, that I cure a man of his leprosy? Perceive ye, and see, that he seeketh occasions against me.

8 And when Elisha, the man of God, had heard this, that is, that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, and said, Why rentest thou thy clothes? come he to me, and know he, that there is a prophet in Israel.

9 Then Naaman came with horses and chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.

10 And Elisha sent to him a mes-senger, and said, Go, and be thou washed seven times in Jordan; and thy flesh shall receive health, and thou shalt be cleansed.

11 Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, I guessed, that he would have gone out to me, and that he would have stood, and inwardly have called the name of the Lord his God, and that he should have touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and should have cured me so.

12 Whether Abana and Pharpar, the floods of Damascus, be not better than all the waters of Israel, that I be washed in them, and be cleansed? Therefore when he had turned himself, and went away, having indignation,

13 his servants nighed to him, and spake to him, Father, though the prophet had said to thee a great thing, certainly thou oughtest to do it; how much more for now he said to thee, Be thou washed, and thou shalt be cleansed.

14 Then Naaman went down, and washed him seven times in the Jordan, by the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored as the flesh of a little child, and he was cleansed.