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          DASV: 2 Kings 5    

1 Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram,
was a great man and highly respected by his master,
because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram.
He was also a mighty warrior, but he had a skin disease.
2 The Arameans had in one of their raids taken captive a
young girl out of the land of Israel and she became a servant
to Naaman's wife.
3 She said to her mistress, "If only my lord could visit
the prophet that is in Samaria. He would heal him of his
skin disease."
4 So Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the
land of Israel had said to him.
5 The king of Aram said, "Go now, and I will send a letter
to the king of Israel." So he left, and brought with him
750 pounds of silver, and 150 pounds of gold, and ten
sets of clothes.
6 He presented the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "With
this letter I have sent to you my servant Naaman, so that
you may cure him of his skin disease."
7 When the king of Israel finished reading the letter he tore
his clothes and objected, "Am I God, to kill and to make
alive? Why does this man ask me to cure a man of his skin
disease? See how he is seeking to pick a fight with me."

8 When Elisha, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel
had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, "Why
have you torn your clothes? Send him to me, and he will
know that there is a prophet in Israel."
9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and stood
at the door of Elisha’s house.
10 Elisha sent a messenger to him saying, "Go and wash in the
Jordan River seven times, and your flesh will be restored,
and you will be clean."
11 But Naaman was furious and left, complaining, "I expected
that he would surely come out to meet me, stand and call
on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over
the spot, and cure the disease.
12 Are not the rivers of Damascus, the Abana and Pharpar,
better than any of the waters in Israel? Could I not just
wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went
away in a rage.

13 His servants approached him and said, "My father, if the
prophet had asked you to do some great thing, wouldn’t you
have done it? How much more then, when all he tells you
is to 'Wash, and be clean'?"
14 So he went down, and dipped himself seven times in the
Jordan River, as the man of God had told him to. His skin
became like the skin of a little child, and he was clean.
15 He returned to the man of God, he and all his company,
and came and stood before him. He said, "Now I know that
there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Please
accept a present from your servant."
16 But Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives, before whom I
serve, I will not accept anything from you." Naaman
urged him to take it, but Elisha still refused.
17 Naaman said, "If not, please let your servant load up my
two mules with dirt; for your servant will no longer offer
burnt offerings or sacrifices to any other gods except the LORD.
18 But may the LORD forgive your servant. When my master
goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans
on my arm, and I bow myself in the temple of Rimmon, may
the LORD forgive your servant for this."

19 So Elisha said to him, "Go in peace." But when he had
traveled a little way,
20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, thought,
"My master has let this Aramean Naaman off too easily in
not accepting from his hands that which he offered him.
As the LORD lives, I will run after him, and get
something out of him."
21 So Gehazi went after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running
after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and
asked, "Is everything all right?"
22 He replied, "Everything is fine. My master has sent me,
saying, 'Two men of the sons of the prophets have come to
me just now from the hill-country of Ephraim. Would you
be kind enough to give them 75 pounds of silver and two
sets of clothes.'"
23 Naaman said, "Please accept 150 pounds of silver."
He insisted and tied up two bags of silver along with
two sets of clothes, and gave them to two of his servants
who carried them for Gehazi.
24 When he came to the citadel, he took the items from
their hand, and stowed them away in the house. Then he
dismissed the men and they left.

25 But when he went in and stood before his master, Elisha
asked him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" He replied,
"Your servant hasn’t gone anywhere."
26 Elisha said to him, "Didn’t my heart go with you,
when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is
this the time to receive money and clothes, olive
groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle and male
and female servants?
27 Therefore Naaman’s skin disease will cling to you,
and to your descendants forever." Then Gehazi left
his presence with his skin having become white as snow.

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