Naaman, general of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable: for by him the Lord gave deliverance to Syria: and he was a valiant man and rich, but a leper.

Naaman princeps militiæ regis Syriæ erat vir magnus apud dominum suum, et honoratus: per illum enim dedit Dominus salutem Syriæ: erat autem vir fortis et dives, sed leprosus.

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.

Now there had gone out robbers from Syria, and had led away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid, and she waited upon Naaman’s wife.

Porro de Syria egressi fuerant latrunculi, et captivam duxerant de terra Israël puellam parvulam, quæ erat in obsequio uxoris Naaman:

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

And she said to her mistress: I wish my master had been with the prophet, that is in Samaria: he would certainly have healed him of the leprosy which he hath.

quæ ait ad dominam suam: Utinam fuisset dominus meus ad prophetam qui est in Samaria, profecto curasset eum a lepra quam habet.

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.

Then Naaman went in to his lord, and told him, saying: Thus and thus said the girl from the land of Israel.

Ingressus est itaque Naaman ad dominum suum, et nuntiavit ei, dicens: Sic et sic locuta est puella de terra Israël.

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

And the king of Syria said to him: Go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment,

Dixitque ei rex Syriæ: Vade, et mittam litteras ad regem Israël. Qui cum profectus esset, et tulisset secum decem talenta argenti, et sex millia aureos, et decem mutatoria vestimentorum,

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 brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: When thou shalt receive this letter, know that I have sent to thee Naaman my servant, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy.

detulit litteras ad regem Israël in hæc verba: Cum acceperis epistolam hanc, scito quod miserim ad te Naaman servum meum, ut cures eum a lepra sua.

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.

And when the king of Israel had read the letter, he rent his garments, and said: Am I God, to be able to kill and give life, that this man hath sent to me, to heal a man of his leprosy? mark, and see how he seeketh occasions against me.

Cumque legisset rex Israël litteras, scidit vestimenta sua, et ait: Numquid deus ego sum, ut occidere possim et vivificare, quia iste misit ad me ut curem hominem a lepra sua? animadvertite, et videte quod occasiones quærat adversum me.

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!

And when Eliseus the man of God had heard this, to wit, that the king of Israel had rent his garments, he sent to him, saying: Why hast thou rent thy garments? let him come to me, and let him know that there is a prophet in Israel.

Quod cum audisset Eliseus vir Dei, scidisse videlicet regem Israël vestimenta sua, misit ad eum, dicens: Quare scidisti vestimenta tua? veniat ad me, et sciat esse prophetam in Israël.

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 chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Eliseus:

Venit ergo Naaman cum equis et curribus, et stetit ad ostium domus Elisei:

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

And Eliseus sent a messenger to him, saying: Go, and wash seven times in the Jordan, and thy flesh shall recover health, and thou shalt be clean.

misitque ad eum Eliseus nuntium, dicens: Vade, et lavare septies in Jordane, et recipiet sanitatem caro tua, atque mundaberis.

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.

Naaman was angry and went away, saying: I thought he would have come out to me, and standing would have invoked the name of the Lord his God, and touched with his hand the place of the leprosy, and healed me.

Iratus Naaman recedebat, dicens: Putabam quod egrederetur ad me, et stans invocaret nomen Domini Dei sui, et tangeret manu sua locum lepræ, et curaret me.

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.

Are not the Abana, and the Pharphar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel, that I may wash in them, and be made clean? So as he turned, and was going away with indignation,

Numquid non meliores sunt Abana et Pharphar fluvii Damasci, omnibus aquis Israël, ut laver in eis, et munder? Cum ergo vertisset se, et abiret indignans,

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 to him, and said to him: Father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, surely thou shouldst have done it: how much rather what he now hath said to thee: Wash, and thou shalt be clean?

accesserunt ad eum servi sui, et locuti sunt ei: Pater, etsi rem grandem dixisset tibi propheta, certe facere debueras: quanto magis quia nunc dixit tibi: Lavare, et mundaberis?

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.

Then he went down, and washed in the Jordan seven times: according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored, like the flesh of a little child, and he was made clean.

Descendit, et lavit in Jordane septies juxta sermonem viri Dei: et restituta est caro ejus sicut caro pueri parvuli, et mundatus est.

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.

And returning to the man of God with all his train, he came, and stood before him, and said: In truth, I know there is no other God in all the earth, but only in Israel: I beseech thee therefore take a blessing of thy servant.

Reversusque ad virum Dei cum universo comitatu suo, venit, et stetit coram eo, et ait: Vere scio quod non sit alius deus in universa terra, nisi tantum in Israël. Obsecro itaque ut accipias benedictionem a servo tuo.

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!

But he answered: As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And when he pressed him, he still refused.

At ille respondit: Vivit Dominus, ante quem sto, quia non accipiam. Cumque vim faceret, penitus non acquievit.

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.

And Naaman said: As thou wilt: but I beseech thee, grant to me thy servant, to take from hence two mules’ burden of earth: for thy servant will not henceforth offer holocaust, or victim, to other gods, but to the Lord.

Dixitque Naaman: Ut vis: sed, obsecro, concede mihi servo tuo ut tollam onus duorum burdonum de terra: non enim faciet ultra servus tuus holocaustum aut victimam diis alienis, nisi Domino.

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.

But there is only this, for which thou shalt entreat the Lord for thy servant, when my master goeth into the temple of Remmon, to worship: and he leaneth upon my hand, if I bow down in the temple of Remmon, when he boweth down in the same place, that the Lord pardon me thy servant for this thing.

Hoc autem solum est, de quo depreceris Dominum pro servo tuo, quando ingredietur dominus meus templum Remmon ut adoret: et illo innitente super manum meam, si adoravero in templo Remmon, adorante eo in eodem loco, ut ignoscat mihi Dominus servo tuo pro hac re.

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!

And he said to him: Go in peace. So he departed from him in the springtime of the earth.

Qui dixit ei: Vade in pace. Abiit ergo ab eo electo terræ tempore.

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

But Giezi the servant of the man of God said: My master hath spared Naaman this Syrian, in not receiving of him that which he brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take something of him:

Dixitque Giezi puer viri Dei: Pepercit dominus meus Naaman Syro isti, ut non acciperet ab eo quæ attulit: vivit Dominus, quia curram post eum, et accipiam ab eo aliquid.

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.

And Giezi followed after Naaman: and when he saw him running after him, he leapt down from his chariot to meet him, and said: Is all well?

Et secutus est Giezi post tergum Naaman: quem cum vidisset ille currentem ad se, desiliit de curru in occursum ejus, et ait: Rectene sunt omnia?

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.

And he said: Well: my master hath sent me to thee, saying: Just now there are come to me from mount Ephraim, two young men of the sons of the prophets: give them a talent of silver, and two changes of garments.

Et ille ait: Recte. Dominus meus misit me ad te dicens: Modo venerunt ad me duo adolescentes de monte Ephraim, ex filiis prophetarum: da eis talentum argenti, et vestes mutatorias duplices.

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.

And Naaman said: It is better that thou take two talents. And he forced him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, and two changes of garments, and laid them upon two of his servants, and they carried them before him.

Dixitque Naaman: Melius est ut accipias duo talenta. Et coëgit eum, ligavitque duo talenta argenti in duobus saccis, et duplicia vestimenta, et imposuit duobus pueris suis, qui et portaverunt coram eo.

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.

And when he was come, and now it was the evening, he took them from their hands, and laid them up in the house, and sent the men away, and they departed.

Cumque venisset jam vesperi, tulit de manu eorum, et reposuit in domo, dimisitque viros, et abierunt.

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;

But he went in, and stood before his master. And Eliseus said: Whence comest thou, Giezi? He answered: Thy servant went no whither.

Ipse autem ingressus, stetit coram domino suo. Et dixit Eliseus: Unde venis, Giezi? Qui respondit: Non ivit servus tuus quoquam.

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.

But he said: Was not my heart present, when the man turned back from his chariot to meet thee? So now thou hast received money, and received garments, to buy oliveyards, and vineyards, and sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and maidservants.

At ille ait: Nonne cor meum in præsenti erat, quando reversus est homo de curru suo in occursum tui? nunc igitur accepisti argentum, et accepisti vestes ut emas oliveta, et vineas, et oves, et boves, et servos, et ancillas.

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?

But the leprosy of Naaman shall also stick to thee, and to thy seed for ever. And he went out from him a leper as white as snow.

Sed et lepra Naaman adhærebit tibi, et semini tuo usque in sempiternum. Et egressus est ab eo leprosus quasi nix.

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.