Study Desk

Now it happened when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, "Why have you torn your clothes? Now let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots and stood at the doorway of the house of Elisha.

But Naaman was furious and went away and said, "Behold, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of Yahweh his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.'

Then his servants approached and spoke to him and said, "My father, had the prophet spoken with you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean'?"

So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God with all his camp, and came and stood before him, and said, "Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so now please take a blessing from your servant."

Then Gehazi, the young man of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and take something from him."

Then Naaman said, "Be pleased to take two talents." And he urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his young men; and they carried them before him.

But he came in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant went nowhere."

Then he said to him, "Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves?

Thus the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever." So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.

And he said, "Take it up for yourself." So he sent forth his hand and took it.

Now the king of Aram was warring against Israel; and he counseled with his servants saying, "In such and such a place shall be my camp."

Then the heart of the king of Aram was enraged over this thing; and he called his servants and said to them, "Will you not tell me which of us is for the king of Israel?"

And one of his servants said, "No, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom."

Then the attendant of the man of God arose early and went out, and behold, a military force with horses and chariots was all around the city. And his young man said to him, "Alas, my master! What shall we do?"

Then Elisha prayed and said, "O Yahweh, I pray, open his eyes that he may see." And Yahweh opened the eyes of the young man and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Now it happened afterwards, that Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military camp and went up and besieged Samaria.

Now it happened that when the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes—now he was passing by on the wall—and the people looked, and behold, he had sackcloth beneath on his body.

Now Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. And the king sent a man from his presence; but before the messenger came to him, he said to the elders, "Do you see how this son of a murderer has sent to take away my head? Look, when the messenger comes, shut the door and hold the door shut against him. Is not the sound of his master's feet behind him?"