Naaman ma verukisiwa
1 Naaman, omuhongore wotjimbumba tjOvasirie tjovita, wa ri omutengwandu nomunanḓengu tjinene wombara yOvasirie, orondu Muhona wa yandjere outoṋi kovarwe vOvasirie mena re. Eye wa ri omurwe omunene wovita, nungwari wa ri nomutjise wongana. 2 Motjirwa tjimwe tjawo nOvaisrael Ovasirie va huurire omukazona umwe wOvaisrael, ngwa karira omukarere womukazendu wa Naaman. 3 Eyuva rimwe omukazona ngwi wa tja nai komuhona we oserekaze: “Ami me zeri kutja andakuzu omuhona wandje ma i komuprofete ngu tura mOsamaria! Eye etje mu verukisa.” 4 Naaman tja zuva nai, otja ya kombara ne keiraera imbi omukazona mbya hungire. 5 Ombara ya tja: “Twende kombara yOvaisrael u tware orutuu ndwi ku yo.”
Naaman otja ya na twaerere ovimariva ovisilveri omayovi omirongo vitatu, novimariva ovingoldo omayovi hamboumwe, nozombanda ozoheze omurongo. 6 Orutuu ndwi rwa tja nai: “Orutuu ndwi maru hungire omukarere wandje Naaman. Ami me vanga kutja u mu verukise.”
7 Ombara ya Israel tji ya resa orutuu ndwi, otji ya nyondorora ozombanda zayo, ai ravaere nai tja: “Okutjavi ombara ya Sirie tji mai vanga kutja mbi verukise omurumendu ngwi? Oyo mai ripura kutja owami Ndjambi ngu nomasa womuinyo nowonḓiro are? Mape raisa ongahukiro kutja oyo mai vanga okuuta ozombata kuna ami.”
8 Omuprofete Elisa tja zuva imbi mbya tjitwa otja hinda ombuze kombara, na tja: “Okutjavi tji wa pindike nao? Hinda omurumendu ngo ku ami, nami me mu raisire kutja mOisrael mu nomuprofete!”
9 Naaman otja ya noukambe netemba re rovita, na kakurama pomuvero wondjuwo ya Elisa. 10 Elisa wa hinda omukarere okukaraera Naaman kutja e kerikohe monḓonḓu Jordan potuhambombari; neye otji ma verukisiwa komutjise we. 11 Nungwari Naaman wa ya a ṱomazenge tjinene; neye we rihungirira mu ye omuini na tja: “Ami mbe ripura kutja ma piti ku ami, a kumbu ku Muhona, Ndjambi we, a takere eke re kombanda yopoṋa pu pe nomutjise ne ndji verukisa! 12 Kombanda yanao, inḓa ozonḓonḓu ooya Abana noya Parpar, mOdamaskus, kazombwa pu ngamwa onḓonḓu aihe mOisrael are? Ami etje rikoha mu zo ne veruka!”
13 Ovakarere ve ve ya ku ye nave tja: “Muhona, andakuzu omuprofete we ku raerere otjiṋa otjizeu, ove otjo tji tjita. Nambano okutjavi tji u hi nokurikoha otja eye pa hee, no veruka?” 14 Naaman otja ya konḓonḓu Jordan na kaṱumba mu yo potuhambombari otja Elisa pa heya; neye wa veruka. Orutu rwe rwa yaruka ko, naru veruka otja orwokanatje. 15 Eye wa yaruka ku Elisa puna ovandu ve avehe na katja nai: “Nambano ami me tjiwa kutja kape na Ndjambi warwe posi ya Ndjambi wa Israel; arikana, muhona, kambura otjiyandjewa ku ami.”
16 Elisa wa zira na tja: “Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo ngu mbi karera, ami hi nokukambura ko otjiyandjewa.”
Naaman wa kara pokuningira kutja a kambure, nungwari eye ka vangere ko.
17 Naaman otja tja nai: “Tji u hi nokukambura otjiyandjewa tjandje, ndji pa omutwaro wehi nda yenena okutoorwa i ousinokambe uvari kutja mbi twaerere konganda, orondu okuza ku ndinondi ami hi nokupunguha ko ozombunguhiro zovinamuinyo nozoningiririsiwa koomukuru varwe posi ya Muhona. 18 Nambano me zeri kutja Muhona me ndji isire, tji me kongorere ombara yandje kondjuwo onḓere ya Rimon, ingwi omukuru wa Sirie, okuvatera omuhona wandje ngwi, na tji me kerikotamene ku ye pamwe nombara. Tjiri, Muhona nge ndji isire.”
19 Elisa wa tja: “Twende mohange!” Nu Naaman wa ya.
Nu tja kayenda ondjira okasupi uriri, 20 omukarere wa Elisa, Gehasi, e rihungirira mu ye omuini na tja: “Omuhona wandje wa isa Naaman okuyenda e he mu sutire otjiṋa! Eye atja kambura ihi Omusirie ngo tje mu pe. Tjimbe tja Muhona omunamuinyo, ami me hakahana okumutezera ne kakambura otjiṋa ku ye!” 21 Neye otja tezera Naaman. Nu Naaman tja muna omurumendu ngu ma utuka kombunda ye otja heruka metemba re rovita okumutjakanena na pura a tja: “Kwa tjitwa otjiṋa otjivi?”
22 Gehasi wa zira a tja: “Kako! Nungwari omuhona wandje we ndji hindi okukuraera kutja pe ya ovandu vevari vokambumba kovaprofete nambano nai, mba zu kehi rozondundu ra Efraim; neye ma vanga kutja u ve pe ovimariva ovisilveri omayovi yetatu, nozombanda mbari ozoheze.”
23 Naaman wa zira a tja: “Arikana, kambura ovimariva ovisilveri omayovi hamboumwe.” Eye wa kara pokuriyarikaṋa ku ye na twa ovimariva mbi mozondjaṱu mbari, ne ze yandja kovakarere ve vevari puna inḓa ozombanda mbari, ne ve rakiza kutja ve vi tjinde amave kayenda komurungu wa Gehasi. 24 Nowo tji va kavaza kondunda ku kwa tura Elisa, Gehasi otja toora ozondjaṱu mbari nḓa ne ze hitisa mondjuwo. Tjazumba otja hinda ovakarere mba vevari va Naaman kutja ve yaruke. 25 Gehasi wa hita mondjuwo na kakurama momurungu womuhona we. Nu Elisa we mu pura a tja: “Wa ire pi?”
Eye wa zira na tja: “Ayee, kako, hi nokoṋa ku mba ire, muhona.”
26 Nungwari Elisa wa tja nai: “Himba ri mbo mombepo, omurumendu worive tja heruka metemba re okukutjakanena are? Indwi karuveze rwokukambura ovimariva nozombanda, nomiṋinga nomivite, nozonḓu nozongombe, novakarere! 27 Nambano omutjise wa Naaman mau ya move, nove nozondekurona zoye mamu kara na wo nga aruhe!”
Gehasi tja ya, wa kavera omutjise mbwi, nomukova we wa rira omuvapa twee.
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.
