Episode 148: Elisha cures and gives leprosy

2 Kings 5-6

5 ¹ Naaman was a mighty man and a Syrian captain. God had helped him conquer his enemies. But he had leprosy.

² A young Israelite girl who had been captured by the Syrians served Naaman's wife.

³ She said to her mistress, "There is a prophet in Samaria who can cure leprosy."

⁴ Naaman's wife told Naaman what the girl said.

^5-6 So the king of Syria wrote a letter to the king of Israel, and sent Naaman to deliver it.

The letter said,

Here is my servant Naaman. Please cure him of his leprosy.

⁷ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes, and said,

I can't cure leprosy.

He's just trying to pick a fight with me.

⁸ When Elisha heard that the king had torn his clothes, he said to him,

Why did you tear your clothes?

Let Naaman come to me.

I'll show him what a great prophet I am.

⁹ So Naaman came to the door of Elisha's house.

¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman, saying,

Go wash in the Jordan River seven times. That'll cure you.

¹⁴ So Naaman washed himself seven times in the Jordan. And that cured him of his leprosy.

¹⁵ Naaman returned to Elisha and said,

Now I know that the god of Israel is the only god.

Let me pay you something for curing me.

¹⁶ But Elisha wouldn't accept any payment.

Elisha gives Gehazi and his descendants leprosy

²⁰ Elisha's servant Gehazi said,

Elisha won't take any payment for Naaman's cure, but I will.

²¹ So Gehazi caught up to Naaman, and said to him,

²² Elisha sent me to say:

Two sons of prophets will be coming your way.

Give them each a talent of silver and two sets of clothes.

²³ Naaman said, "Sure. I'll give you two talents of silver and two sets of clothes."

²⁴ And Gehazi stored the silver and clothes in a secret place.

²⁵ The next time Elisha saw Gehazi, he said, "Where have you been?"

Gehazi answered, "I didn't go anywhere."

²⁶ Elisha said,

I know where you were. You received a payment from Naaman for curing his leprosy.

²⁷ So now you and your descendants will have leprosy forever.

And Gehazi's skin immediately became leprous.

Elisha makes an iron axe head swim

6 ^1-5 Elisha and the sons of the prophets were cutting wood by the Jordan River when an axe head fell into the water. ⁶ Elisha threw a stick in the water and the iron axe head swam.

Elisha has ESP

⁸ The king of Syria was at war with Israel.

⁹ Elisha always knew what the Syrian king was up to -- where he'd send his troops, where he'd attack, etc.

¹¹ The king said to his servants, "Which of you is spying for the Israelites?"

¹² One of the servants replied, saying,

The prophet Elisha has been informing the king of Israel.

He hears everything you say, even in private.

God blinds the Syrian army

¹³ So the king of Syria sent his army to Dothan, where Elisha was residing.

¹⁵ When Elisha's servant saw the huge army, he said to Elisha, "Master, what should we do?"

¹⁶ Elisha said to him, "Don't worry, there's more of us than there is of them."

¹⁷ Then Elisha said to God, "Open my servant's eyes so he can see."

And his servant could see the mountain that was filled with horses and chariots of fire around Elisha.

¹⁸ Elisha said to God, “Make the Syrians blind.”

And God blinded the Syrians.

¹⁹ Then Elisha said to the blinded Syrians, “Follow me and I'll take you to Elisha.”

But he led them to Samaria instead.

²⁰ When they arrived in Samaria, Elisha said to God, “Open their eyes so they can see.”

And God opened their eyes, so they could see they were in Samaria.

²¹ The king of Israel said to Elisha, "Shall I smite them, my father?"

²² Elisha said,

No, don't smite them.

Let them eat and drink, and then go home.

²³ And the Syrians didn't come to Israel anymore.

God sends a famine on Samaria

²⁵ At that time there was a great famine in Samaria. It was so bad that a donkey's head sold for eighty pieces of silver, and a bit of dove dung cost five pieces of silver.

²⁶ As the king of Israel was passing by one day, a woman cried out to him, saying,

²⁸ Another woman said to me, "Let's eat your son today and tomorrow we'll eat mine."

²⁹ So we boiled my son and ate him. And the next day I said, "Now let's eat your son."

³⁰ When the king heard the woman's story, he tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his flesh, and said,

³¹ I'm going to chop off Elisha's head.

³³ Then king sent a messenger to Elisha, who said, “God has done these evil things.”