Naaman Cured of Leprosy

¹Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And he was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

²At this time the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken a young girl from the land of Israel, and she was serving Naaman’s wife.

³She said to her mistress, “If only my master would go to the prophet who is in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.”

⁴And Naaman went and told his master what the girl from the land of Israel had said.

⁵“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.”So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver,six thousand shekels of gold,and ten sets of clothing.

⁶And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

⁷When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”

⁸Now when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king: “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let the man come to me, and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”

⁹So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha’s house.

¹⁰Then Elisha sent him a messenger, who said, “Go and wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored, and you will be clean.”

¹¹But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought that he would surely come out, stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the spot to cure my leprosy.

¹²Are not the Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not have washed in them and been cleansed?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

¹³Naaman’s servants, however, approached him and said, “My father, 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 Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored and became like that of a little child, and he was clean.

Gehazi’s Greed and Leprosy

¹⁵Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God, stood before him, and declared, “Now I know for sure that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”

¹⁶But Elisha replied, “As surely as the LORD lives, before whom I stand, I will not accept it.” And although Naaman urged him to accept it, he refused.

¹⁷“If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much soil as a pair of mules can carry. For your servant will never again make a burnt offering or a sacrifice to any other god but the LORD.

¹⁸Yet may the LORD forgive your servant this one thing: When my master goes into the temple of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my arm, and I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the LORD forgive your servant in this matter.”

¹⁹“Go in peace,” said Elisha.But after Naaman had traveled a short distance,

²⁰Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, “Look, my master has spared this Aramean, Naaman, by not accepting what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”

²¹So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”

²²“Everything is all right,” Gehazi replied. “My master has sent me to say, ‘Look, two young men from the sons of the prophets have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silverand two sets of clothing.’”

²³But Naaman insisted, “Please, take two talents.” And he urged Gehazi to accept them. Then he tied up two talents of silver in two bags along with two sets of clothing and gave them to two of his servants, who carried them ahead of Gehazi.

²⁴When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the gifts from the servants and stored them in the house. Then he dismissed the men, and they departed.

²⁵When Gehazi went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Gehazi, where have you been?”“Your servant did not go anywhere,” he replied.

²⁶But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and oxen, menservants and maidservants?

²⁷Therefore, the leprosy of Naaman will cling to you and your descendants forever!”And as Gehazi left his presence, he was leprous—as white as snow.

God’s Vengeance on the Nations

¹Who is this coming from Edom,from Bozrah with crimson-stained garments?Who is this robed in splendor,marching in the greatness of His strength?“It is I, proclaiming vindication,mighty to save.”

²Why are Your clothes red,and Your garments like one who treads the winepress?

³“I have trodden the winepress alone,and no one from the nations was with Me.I trampled them in My angerand trod them down in My fury;their blood spattered My garments,and all My clothes were stained.

⁴For the day of vengeance was in My heart,and the year of My redemption had come.

⁵I looked, but there was no one to help;I was appalled that no one assisted.So My arm brought Me salvation,and My own wrath upheld Me.

⁶I trampled the nations in My anger;in My wrath I made them drunkand poured out their blood on the ground.”

God’s Mercies Recalled

⁷I will make known the LORD’s loving devotionand His praiseworthy acts,because of all that the LORD has done for us—the many good things for the house of Israelaccording to His great compassion and loving devotion.

⁸For He said, “They are surely My people,sons who will not be disloyal.”So He became their Savior.

⁹In all their distress, He too was afflicted,and the Angel of His Presencesaved them.In His love and compassion He redeemed them;He lifted them up and carried themall the days of old.

¹⁰But they rebelledand grieved His Holy Spirit.So He turned and became their enemy,and He Himself fought against them.

¹¹Then His people remembered the days of old,the days of Moses.Where is He who brought them through the seawith the shepherds of His flock?Where is the One who setHis Holy Spirit among them,

¹²who sent His glorious armto lead them by the right hand of Moses,who divided the waters before themto gain for Himself everlasting renown,

¹³who led them through the depthslike a horse in the wilderness,so that they did not stumble?

¹⁴Like cattle going down to the valley,the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest.You led Your people this wayto make for Yourself a glorious name.

A Prayer for Mercy

¹⁵Look down from heaven and see,from Your holy and glorious habitation.Where are Your zeal and might?Your yearning and compassion for me are restrained.

¹⁶Yet You are our Father,though Abraham does not know usand Israel does not acknowledge us.You, O LORD, are our Father;our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.

¹⁷Why, O LORD, do You make us stray from Your waysand harden our hearts from fearing You?Return, for the sake of Your servants,the tribes of Your heritage.

¹⁸For a short while Your people possessed Your holy place,but our enemies have trampled Your sanctuary.

¹⁹We have become like those You never ruled,like those not called by Your name.

The Humiliation of Babylon

¹“Go down and sit in the dust,O Virgin Daughter of Babylon.Sit on the ground without a throne,O Daughter of the Chaldeans!For you will no longer be calledtender or delicate.

²Take millstones and grind flour;remove your veil;strip off your skirt, bare your thigh,and wade through the streams.

³Your nakedness will be uncoveredand your shame will be exposed.I will take vengeance;I will spare no one.”

⁴Our Redeemer—the LORD of Hosts is His name—is the Holy One of Israel.

⁵“Sit in silence and go into darkness,O Daughter of the Chaldeans.For you will no longer be calledthe queen of kingdoms.

⁶I was angry with My people;I profaned My heritage,and I placed them under your control.You showed them no mercy;even on the elderly you laid a most heavy yoke.

⁷You said, ‘I will be queen forever.’You did not take these things to heartor consider their outcome.

⁸So now hear this,O lover of luxury who sits securely,who says to herself,‘I am, and there is none besides me.I will never be a widowor know the loss of children.’

⁹These two things will overtake you in a moment,in a single day:loss of children, and widowhood.They will come upon you in full measure,in spite of your many sorceriesand the potency of your spells.

¹⁰You were secure in your wickedness;you said, ‘No one sees me.’Your wisdom and knowledge led you astray;you told yourself, ‘I am, and there is none besides me.’

¹¹But disaster will come upon you;you will not know how to charm it away.A calamity will befall youthat you will be unable to ward off.Devastation will happen to yousuddenly and unexpectedly.

¹²So take your stand with your spellsand with your many sorceries,with which you have wearied yourselffrom your youth.Perhaps you will succeed;perhaps you will inspire terror!

¹³You are wearied by your many counselors;let them come forward now and save you—your astrologers who observe the stars,who monthly predict your fate.

¹⁴Surely they are like stubble;the fire will burn them up.They cannot deliver themselvesfrom the power of the flame.There will be no coals to warm themor fire to sit beside.

¹⁵This is what they are to you—those with whom you have labored and traded from youth—each one strays in his own direction;not one of them can save you.

Extol Him, All You Peoples

¹Praise the LORD, all you nations!Extol Him, all you peoples!

²For great is His loving devotion toward us,and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever.Hallelujah!