At this time the armies of the king of Syria were commanded by a certain Naa man; a great captain, high in his master’s favour; brave, too, and a man of wealth, but a leper.

Naaman’s wife had a servant, a young Israelite maid that had been captured by Syrian freebooters;

and this maid said to her mistress, If only my lord would betake himself to the prophet in Samaria! He would have cured him soon enough of his leprosy.

Upon this, Naaman went to his master, and told him what the Israelite maid had said;

and the king of Syria promised to send him with a letter to the king of Israel. So he set out with thirty talents of silver, and six thousand gold pieces, and ten suits of clothing.

And the letter he carried to the king of Israel ran thus, Know by these presents that I am sending my servant Naaman to thee, to be cured of his leprosy.

Upon reading this letter, the king of Israel tore his garments about him, and asked, Am I God, with power to kill men and bring them to life again, that he should send a leper to me to be cured? Mark well how eager he is to pick a quarrel with me!

But God’s servant Eliseus, when he was told what ado the king of Israel had made over it, sent a message to him, Why rend those garments of thine? Send the man to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet still left in Israel.

So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the door of Eliseus’ house;

where Eliseus sent word out to him, Go and bathe seven times in the Jordan, if thou wouldst have health restored to thy flesh, and be clean.

At this, Naaman was for going back home; Why, he said angrily, I thought he would come out to meet me, and stand here invoking the name of his God; that he would touch the sore with his hand, and cure me.

Has not Damascus its rivers, Abana and Pharphar, such water as is not to be found in Israel? Why may I not bathe and find healing there? But, as he turned indignantly to go away,

his servants came and pleaded with him; Good father, they said, if the prophet had enjoined some great task on thee, thou wouldst surely have performed it; all the more readily thou shouldst obey him when he says, Wash and thou shalt be clean.

So down he went, and washed in the Jordan seven times, as the servant of God had bidden him. And with that, his flesh healed up, and became like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

So, coming back with all his retinue, he stood there in the presence of God’s servant; I have learned, he said, past doubt, that there is no God to be found in all the world, save here in Israel.

And now, he said, pray accept a gift from thy servant, to prove his gratitude!

As the Lord I serve is a living God, Eliseus answered, I will accept nothing from thee; nor would any pleading bring him to consent.

At last Naaman said, Have thy way, then, lord prophet, but grant me a gift instead. Let me take away with me part of the soil of Israel, as much as two mules can carry; my burnt-sacrifice, my offerings henceforward are for the Lord only, and for no alien god.

Yet one fault pray the Lord to pardon in me thy servant. My master will still be going up to offer worship in the temple of Remmon, leaning on my arm for support. At such times, if I do reverence, as my master does reverence, in Remmon’s temple, the Lord grant me his pardon!

Go on thy way, said Eliseus, and peace go with thee. So there, on a spring day, they parted.✻

But to Giezi, the prophet’s servant, the thought came, Here is this Syrian, this Naaman, with all his gifts, and my master has sent him away no poorer than he came. As the Lord is a living God, I mean to run after him and bring back some trifle with me.

So after Naaman Giezi went; and Naaman, when he saw him running up, dismounted from his chariot and went to meet him; Is all well? he asked.

All is well, said the other, but my master has sent me with a message to thee: Here are two young prophets but now come to visit me, from the hill-country of Ephraim; to these thou mayest well give a talent of silver, and two suits of clothing.

Better two talents, Naaman said, and would take no denial. So two of his servants must shoulder a sack that held a talent of silver and a suit of clothes each of them, and carry these in front of Giezi.

Evening had fallen when he reached home, took their load from them to lay it up in the house, and sent them away on their journey;

then he went in to wait on his master. And when Eliseus asked whence he came, he said, Nay, my lord, I took no journey.

What, said Eliseus, was not this heart of mine there to witness it, when yonder fellow turned back from his chariot to meet thee? And wouldst thou, at such a time, enrich thyself with a talent of silver here, a suit of clothes there, to buy thee oliveyard and vineyard, sheep and ox, man-servant and maid-servant?

To thee, and to thy race for ever, Naaman’s leprosy shall cling. And Giezi went out from his presence, a leper as white as snow.