Bible Gateway passage: 2 Kings 5:5-19 - New International Version (2024)

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 talents^[a] of silver, six thousand shekels^[b] of gold and ten sets of clothing.^{(A) 6}The 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,^(B) he tore his robes and said, “Am I God?^(C) Can I kill and bring back to life?^(D) Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel^(E) 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^(F) 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^(G) yourself seven times^(H) 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^(I) over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹²Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters^(J) of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.^(K)

¹³Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father,^(L) 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,^(M) as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored^(N) and became clean like that of a young boy.^(O)

¹⁵Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God^(P). He stood before him and said, “Now I know^(Q) that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift^(R) 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.^(S)

¹⁷“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth^(T) 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^(U) 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,”^(V) Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance,

Footnotes

1. 2 Kings 5:5 That is, about 750 pounds or about 340 kilograms
2. 2 Kings 5:5 That is, about 150 pounds or about 69 kilograms

Cross references

1. 2 Kings 5:5 : ver 22; S Ge 24:53; Jdg 14:12; S 1Sa 9:7
2. 2 Kings 5:7 : 2Ki 19:14
3. 2 Kings 5:7 : S Ge 30:2
4. 2 Kings 5:7 : S Dt 32:39
5. 2 Kings 5:7 : 1Ki 20:7
6. 2 Kings 5:8 : S 1Ki 22:7
7. 2 Kings 5:10 : Jn 9:7
8. 2 Kings 5:10 : S Ge 33:3; S Lev 14:7
9. 2 Kings 5:11 : S Ex 7:19
10. 2 Kings 5:12 : Isa 8:6
11. 2 Kings 5:12 : Pr 14:17, 29; 19:11; 29:11
12. 2 Kings 5:13 : 2Ki 6:21; 13:14
13. 2 Kings 5:14 : S Ge 33:3; S Lev 14:7; S Jos 6:15
14. 2 Kings 5:14 : S Ex 4:7
15. 2 Kings 5:14 : Job 33:25
16. 2 Kings 5:15 : S Jos 2:11
17. 2 Kings 5:15 : S Jos 4:24; S 1Sa 17:46
18. 2 Kings 5:15 : S 1Sa 9:7
19. 2 Kings 5:16 : ver 20, 26; Ge 14:23; Da 5:17
20. 2 Kings 5:17 : Ex 20:24
21. 2 Kings 5:18 : 2Ki 7:2
22. 2 Kings 5:19 : 1Sa 1:17; S Ac 15:33