Naamani unopodziwa
1 Naamani wakabe ali ntungamili we ngwa ya mambo we Siriya, wakabe ali nlume nkulu mu mesho a tetshi uwe kakale etolegwa pezhugwi kwazo, ngoti ndiye, Yahwe bakabe bapa Siriya kukunda. Wakabe ali mbhayani wakasima, koga egwala mapele.
2 Ipapo Basiriya bakatongobe banginilila Iziraela ngono mu kunginilila kwabo bakatapa mwanadi we Iziraela ngono kabe nlandakadzi we nkadzi wa Naamani. 3 Ngono kadwa tetshikadzi uwe kati, “Tshene tetshi wangu banganobona nlebesambeli umu Samariya, wabe angabapodza mapele abo.” 4 Ndizo Naamani kayenda kano budza tetshi uwe ngekwe tjalebgwa nge mwanadi we Iziraela.
5 Ndizo mambo we Siriya kati, “Yenda ngwenu, ngono ndowotumila lukwalo kuna mambo we Iziraela.” Ndizo kayenda, katola talenta dzili gumi dze siliva ne zwiwulu zwili kutathatu zwe shekele ye golide ne zwiambalo zwibuyanana zwili gumi. 6 Ngono kayisa lukwalo kuna mambo we Iziraela gwakabe gubalika guti, “Lukwalo igogu aguswika pakuli, ziba kuti ndatuma Naamani nlanda wangu kukuli, kuti umpodze bugwele gugwe gwe mapele.” 7 Ngono kukati mambo we Iziraela ebala lukwalo, kapalula zwiambalo zwizwe kati, “Apa ndi Ndzimu imi kene? Apa ndinga bulaya kakale atjidza kene, kungayita kuti nlume iwoyu atumile ndaidzo kundili kuti ndipodze nthu mu mapele awe kene? Bonani koga sekwa anoshaka kukwebakwebana nami.”
8 Koga Elisha nlume we Ndzimu wakati ehwa kuti mambo we Iziraela wapalula zwiambalo zwizwe, katumila dama kuna mambo eti, “Ini wapalula zwiambalo zwizo kene? Unletje azhe kundili kuti ndizo azibe kuti kuna nlebesambeli mu Iziraela.” 9 Ndizo Naamani kayenda ne mbizi dzidze ne koloyi dze ngwa kanoma pa nkoba we ng'umba ya Elisha. 10 Ngono Elisha katuma ntumwa kunli kati, “Yenda unongula mu gwizi gwe Jorodani katendeka, nyama inowobuyila mu mbili uwo, ngono unowotjenapala.” 11 Koga Naamani kayenda akagwadzamoyo eti, “Ndabe ndikumbula kuti nge malebeswa unowobhuda kazha kundili kama kadana zina la Yahwe Ndzimu uwe, kawuzwa nge luboko gugwe pathu pakakubala kapodza una mapele. 12 Apa Abana ne Faripa ate njizi dze Damasiko dzinoyita pa vula dzose dze Iziraela kene? Apa andinga ngule mudzili ndikabe mbuyanana kene?” Ndizo kashanduka, kayenda akagwadzamoyo. 13 Koga balanda babe bakasedzela panli bakati, “Tate, ha nlebesambeli angabe amudwa tjimwe tjikulukulu, mungabe musatjithama kene? Bukulu seni apa emudwa eti, ‘Ngulani mube mbuyanana kene?’ ” 14 Ndizo kadeluka kanozwidubika katendeka mu gwizi gwe Jorodani, kuyendidzana nge dama le nlume we Ndzimu ngono mbili uwe ukalulwama, ganda lile likalingika sele mwana ngono katjenapala.
15 Ipapo kabgwilila ku nlume we Ndzimu, iye ne goko lile lose ngono kabuya kama mbeli kukwe ngono kati, “Bonani, ndoziba kuti akuna Ndzimu mu shango yose kuzhe kwe Iziraela, ngwenu ndokumbila kuti uamutjile tjipo kudwa ku nlanda uwo.” 16 Nlebesambeli kashandula eti, “Ha Yahwe batjatjila, ibo bandinoshingila, akuna tjandinoamutjila.” Ngono kankwekweredza kuti a amutjile koga kalamba. 17 Naamani kati, “Ha kusingatubuke, ndomukumbila imi nlanda wenyu ndipiwe tjilizanyo tje mavu tje mitolo mibili ye mowulo, ngobe nlanda wenyu aatjowothama zwibhayilo zwinopisiwa kene kuli zwibhayilo ku midzimu ipoga kuzhe kwa Yahwe. 18 Koga mu ndebo iyeyi, tshene Yahwe bangazwiibhatigwa nlanda uwo, ha tetshi wangu engina mu ng'umba ya Rimoni kunonamata, akanaila luboko gwangu ngono nami ndithigama mu ng'umba ya Rimoni, tshene Yahwe bangazwiibhatigwa nlanda uwo ngekwa ikoku.”
19 Elisha kandwa kati, “Yenda nge mbakiso.” Ngono kwakati Naamani atjiyenda thambgwana, 20 Gehazi nlanda wa Elisha nlume we Ndzimu, kazwidwa kati, “Bona, tetshi wangu waletja Naamani we N'siriya nge kusaamutjila mu maboko awe tjaazhisa. Ha Yahwe batjatjila, ndowonlabukila ndikatola tjimwe mu nli.”
21 Ndizo Gehazi katobela Naamani. Ngono Naamani wakati ebona nthu akanlabukila, kadeluka mu koloyi iye ye ngwa kunonshanganidza, kandwa kati, “Apa tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakalulwama kene?” 22 Ngono Gehazi kashandula eti, “Tjimwe ne tjimwe tjakalulwama, ngono tetshi wangu wandituma kuti nditi, ‘Kwazha bazhuzha badiyiwana be balebesambeli kudwa ku shango ye matombo ye Ifureimi. Ndokumbila ubape talenta ye siliva ne zwiambalo zwibili zwibuyanana.’ ” 23 Ngono Naamani kati, “Shatha uamutjile talenta mbili.” Kakwekweredza Gehazi kuzwiamutjila, ngono kasungila talenta mbili dze siliva mu womo mbili ne zwiambalo zwibili zwibuyanana. Kazwipa babili be balanda babe, ngono bakazwisenga bakatungamila Gehazi. 24 Ngono Gehazi wakati eswika pa duthu kazwitola mu maboko abo kazwilonga mu ng'umba, ngono kabawoneka bakayenda. 25 Kangina kama mbeli kwa tetshi uwe, ngono Elisha kandwa kati, “Wabe wayenda poni Gehazi?” Kashandula eti, “Nlanda wenyu akuna kwaatongo yenda.”
26 Ngono kandwa kati, “Apa ndabendisinawe mu meya ha nlume edeluka mu koloyi iye ye ngwa kukushanganidza kene? Apa nditjo tjibaka tjekuamutjila mari ne zwiambalo ne minda ye mitoba ne minda ye mizhambi ne pkhwizi ne mangabe ne balanda ne balandakadzi kene? 27 Mapele a Naamani anowokunamatila kose ne zwizekugwana zwizo tjatjose.” Ngono Gehazi kabhuda pana Elisha ana mapele, ali ntjena se kapuku.
Naaman Is Cured
1 Naaman, the commander of the Syrian army, was highly respected and esteemed by the king of Syria, because through Naaman the Lord had given victory to the Syrian forces. He was a great soldier, but he suffered from a dreaded skin disease. 2 In one of their raids against Israel, the Syrians had carried off a little Israelite girl, who became a servant of Naaman's wife. 3 One day she said to her mistress, “I wish that my master could go to the prophet who lives in Samaria! He would cure him of his disease.” 4 When Naaman heard of this, he went to the king and told him what the girl had said. 5 The king said, “Go to the king of Israel and take this letter to him.”
So Naaman set out, taking thirty thousand pieces of silver, six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of fine clothes. 6 The letter that he took read: “This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease.”
7 When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes in dismay and exclaimed, “How can the king of Syria expect me to cure this man? Does he think that I am God, with the power of life and death? It's plain that he is trying to start a quarrel with me!”
8 When the prophet Elisha heard what had happened, he sent word to the king: “Why are you so upset? Send the man to me, and I'll show him that there is a prophet in Israel!”
9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariot and stopped at the entrance to Elisha's house. 10 Elisha sent a servant out to tell him to go and wash himself seven times in the Jordan River, and he would be completely cured of his disease. 11 But Naaman left in a rage, saying, “I thought that he would at least come out to me, pray to the Lord his God, wave his hand over the diseased spot, and cure me! 12 Besides, aren't the rivers Abana and Pharpar, back in Damascus, better than any river in Israel? I could have washed in them and been cured!”
13 His servants went up to him and said, “Sir, if the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would have done it. Now why can't you just wash yourself, as he said, and be cured?” 14 So Naaman went down to the Jordan, dipped himself in it seven times, as Elisha had instructed, and he was completely cured. His flesh became firm and healthy like that of a child. 15 He returned to Elisha with all his men and said, “Now I know that there is no god but the God of Israel; so please, sir, accept a gift from me.”
16 Elisha answered, “By the living Lord, whom I serve, I swear that I will not accept a gift.”
Naaman insisted that he accept it, but he would not. 17 So Naaman said, “If you won't accept my gift, then let me have two mule-loads of earth to take home with me, because from now on I will not offer sacrifices or burnt offerings to any god except the Lord. 18 So I hope that the Lord will forgive me when I accompany my king to the temple of Rimmon, the god of Syria, and worship him. Surely the Lord will forgive me!”
19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said. And Naaman left.
He had gone only a short distance, 20 when Elisha's servant Gehazi said to himself, “My master has let Naaman get away without paying a thing! He should have accepted what that Syrian offered him. By the living Lord I will run after him and get something from him.” 21 So he set off after Naaman. When Naaman saw a man running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him, and asked, “Is something wrong?”
22 “No,” Gehazi answered. “But my master sent me to tell you that just now two members of the group of prophets in the hill country of Ephraim arrived, and he would like you to give them three thousand pieces of silver and two changes of fine clothes.”
23 “Please take six thousand pieces of silver,” Naaman replied. He insisted on it, tied up the silver in two bags, gave them and two changes of fine clothes to two of his servants, and sent them on ahead of Gehazi. 24 When they reached the hill where Elisha lived, Gehazi took the two bags and carried them into the house. Then he sent Naaman's servants back. 25 He went back into the house, and Elisha asked him, “Where have you been?”
“Oh, nowhere, sir,” he answered.
26 But Elisha said, “Wasn't I there in spirit when the man got out of his chariot to meet you? This is no time to accept money and clothes, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, or servants! 27 And now Naaman's disease will come upon you, and you and your descendants will have it forever!”
When Gehazi left, he had the disease—his skin was as white as snow.