Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man {Hebrew: before.}with his master, and honorable, because by him Jehovah had given {Hebrew: salvation.}victory unto Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.
And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maiden; and she {Hebrew: was before.}waited on Naaman's wife.
And she said unto her mistress, Would that my lord were {Hebrew: before.}with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he recover him of his leprosy.
And {Or, he}one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maiden that is of the land of Israel.
And the king of Syria said, Go now, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand {Or, shekels}pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, And now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.
And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh {Or, an occasion}a quarrel against me.
And it was so, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.
So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.
And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and {Hebrew: be thou clean.}thou shalt be clean.
But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of Jehovah his God, and wave his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
Are not {Another reading is, Amanah. See Song of Solomon 4:8.}Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?
Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him; and he said, Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a {Hebrew: blessing.}present of thy servant.
But he said, As Jehovah liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none. And he urged him to take it; but he refused.
And Naaman said, If not, yet, I pray thee, let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt-offering nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto Jehovah.
In this thing Jehovah pardon thy servant: when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Jehovah pardon thy servant in this thing.
And he said unto him, Go in peace. So he departed from him {Or, some distance}a little way.
But Gehazi the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as Jehovah liveth, I will run after him, and take somewhat of him.
So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, Is all well?
And he said, All is well. My master hath sent me, saying, Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill-country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.
And 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 raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bare them before him.
And when he came to the {Hebrew: Ophel.}hill, he took them from their hand, and bestowed them in the house; and he let the men go, and they departed.
But he went in, and stood before his master. And Elisha said unto him, Whence comest thou, Gehazi? And he said, Thy servant went no whither.
And he said unto him, {Or, My heart went not from me, when &c.}Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and men-servants and maid-servants?
The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever. And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
Querverweise zu 2. Könige 5,11 2Kön 5,11
By pride cometh only contention;But with the well-advised is wisdom.
For the backsliding of the simple shall slay them,And the careless ease of fools shall destroy them.
Be not wise in thine own eyes;Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
And the centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not {Greek: sufficient.}worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but only say {Greek: with a word.}the word, and my {Or, boy}servant shall be healed.
But when the young man heard the saying, he went away sorrowful; for he was one that had great possessions.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith Jehovah.
But she said, Yea, Lord: for even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
Upon this many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Jesus said therefore unto the twelve, Would ye also go away?
Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou {Or, hast words}hast the words of eternal life.
And we have believed and know that thou art the Holy One of God.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For every one that exalteth himself shall be humbled; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
Jesus therefore said unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will in no wise believe.
See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him {Or, that is from heaven}that warneth from heaven:
For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the {Greek: thing preached.}preaching to save them that believe.
Seeing that Jews ask for signs, and Greeks seek after wisdom:
but we preach {Or, a Messiah}Christ crucified, unto Jews a stumblingblock, and unto Gentiles foolishness;
but unto {Greek: the called themselves.}them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
Now the {Or, unspiritual Greek: psychical.}natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually {Or, examined}judged.
But he that is spiritual {Or, examineth}judgeth all things, and he himself is {Or, examined}judged of no man.
For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
Let no man deceive himself. If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this {Or, age}world, let him become a fool, that he may become wise.
For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, {Job 5:13.}He that taketh the wise in their craftiness:
and again, {Psalms 94:11.}The Lord knoweth the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.