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2 KIN G S 6
14 So
Naaman went down to the Jordan River
and dipped himself seven times, as the man of
God had instructed him. And his skin became
as healthy as the skin of a young child, and he
was healed!
15 Then Naaman and his entire party went
back to find the man of God. They stood before
him, and Naaman said, “Now I know that there
is no God in all the world except in Israel. So
please accept a gift from your servant.”
16 But Elisha replied, “As surely as the Lord
lives, whom I serve, I will not accept any gifts.”
And though Naaman urged him to take the gift,
Elisha refused.
17 Then Naaman said, “All right, but please
allow me to load two of my mules with earth
from this place, and I will take it back home
with me. From now on I will never again offer
burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other god except the Lord. 18 However, may the Lord pardon
me in this one thing: When my master the king
goes into the temple of the god Rimmon to worship there and leans on my arm, may the Lord
pardon me when I bow, too.”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. So Naaman
started home again.
The Greed of Gehazi
20 But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha, the man of
God, said to himself, “My master should not
have let this Aramean get away without accepting any of his gifts. As surely as the Lord lives,
I will chase after him and get something from
him.” 21 So Gehazi set off after Naaman.
When Naaman saw Gehazi running after
him, he climbed down from his chariot and
went to meet him. “Is everything all right?” Naaman asked.
22 “Yes,” Gehazi said, “but my master has sent
me to tell you that two young prophets from the
hill country of Ephraim have just arrived. He
would like 75 pounds* of silver and two sets of
clothing to give to them.”
23 “By all means, take twice as much* silver,”
Naaman insisted. He gave him two sets of clothing, tied up the money in two bags, and sent two
of his servants to carry the gifts for Gehazi. 24 But
when they arrived at the citadel,* Gehazi took
the gifts from the servants and sent the men
back. Then he went and hid the gifts inside the
house.
25 When he went in to his master, Elisha asked
him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”
“I haven’t been anywhere,” he replied.
26 But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize
that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped
down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the
time to receive money and clothing, olive groves
and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and
female servants? 27 Because you have done this,
you and your descendants will suffer from
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Naaman’s leprosy forever.” When Gehazi left
the room, he was covered with leprosy; his skin
was white as snow.
The Floating Ax Head
One day the group of prophets came to
Elisha and told him, “As you can see, this
place where we meet with you is too small.
2 Let’s go down to the Jordan River, where there
are plenty of logs. There we can build a new
place for us to meet.”
“All right,” he told them, “go ahead.”
3 “Please come with us,” someone suggested.
“I will,” he said. 4 So he went with them.
When they arrived at the Jordan, they began
cutting down trees. 5 But as one of them was cutting a tree, his ax head fell into the river. “Oh,
sir!” he cried. “It was a borrowed ax!”
6 “Where did it fall?” the man of God asked.
When he showed him the place, Elisha cut a
stick and threw it into the water at that spot.
Then the ax head floated to the surface. 7 “Grab
it,” Elisha said. And the man reached out and
grabbed it.
6
Elisha Traps the Arameans
8 When the king of Aram was at war with Israel, he would confer with his officers and say,
“We will mobilize our forces at such and such
a place.”
9 But immediately Elisha, the man of God,
would warn the king of Israel, “Do not go near
that place, for the Arameans are planning to
mobilize their troops there.” 10 So the king of Israel would send word to the place indicated by
the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned
the king, so that he would be on the alert there.
11 The king of Aram became very upset over
this. He called his officers together and demanded, “Which of you is the traitor? Who has
been informing the king of Israel of my plans?”
12 “It’s not us, my lord the king,” one of the
officers replied. “Elisha, the prophet in Israel,
tells the king of Israel even the words you speak
in the privacy of your bedroom!”
13 “Go and find out where he is,” the king commanded, “so I can send troops to seize him.”
And the report came back: “Elisha is at Dothan.” 14 So one night the king of Aram sent a
great army with many chariots and horses to
surround the city.
15 When the servant of the man of God got up
early the next morning and went outside, there
were troops, horses, and chariots everywhere.
“Oh, sir, what will we do now?” the young man
cried to Elisha.
16 “Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For
there are more on our side than on theirs!”
17 Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes
5:22 Hebrew 1 talent [34 kilograms]. 5:23 Hebrew take
2 talents [150 pounds or 68 kilograms]. 5:24 Hebrew the
Ophel.