2 Kings 5:6 And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy."

◄ 2 Kings 5:6 ►

New International Version
The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

New Living Translation
The letter to the king of Israel said: “With this letter I present my servant Naaman. I want you to heal him of his leprosy.”

English Standard Version
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you Naaman my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

Berean Standard Bible
And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

King James Bible
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

New King James Version
Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.

New American Standard Bible
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

NASB 1995
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

NASB 1977
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “So now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

Amplified Bible
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel. It said, “And now when this letter comes to you, I will have sent my servant Naaman to you, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”

Christian Standard Bible
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, and it read: When this letter comes to you, note that I have sent you my servant Naaman for you to cure him of his skin disease.

American Standard Version
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.

Contemporary English Version
He also carried the letter to the king of Israel. It said, "I am sending my servant Naaman to you. Would you cure him of his leprosy?"

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He brought the letter to the king of Israel. It read, "I'm sending my officer Naaman with this letter. Cure him of his skin disease."

Good News Translation
The letter that he took read: "This letter will introduce my officer Naaman. I want you to cure him of his disease."

International Standard Version
He also brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read as follows: "…and now as this letter finds its way to you, look! I've sent my servant Naaman to you so you may heal him of his leprosy."

Majority Standard Bible
And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: ?With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.?

NET Bible
He brought the letter to king of Israel. It read: "This is a letter of introduction for my servant Naaman, whom I have sent to be cured of his skin disease."

New Heart English Bible
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "Now when this letter has come to you, look, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter hath come to thee, behold, I have with this sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.

World English Bible
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “Now when this letter has come to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy.”

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And he brings in the letter to the king of Israel, saying, “And now, at the coming in of this letter to you, behold, I have sent my servant Naaman to you, and you have recovered him from his leprosy.”

Young's Literal Translation
And he bringeth in the letter unto the king of Israel, saying, 'And now, at the coming in of this letter unto thee, lo, I have sent unto thee Naaman my servant, and thou hast recovered him from his leprosy.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he will bring the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when: this letter comes to thee, behold, I sent Naaman my servant, and do thou gather him from his leprosy.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
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.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, in these words: “When you will receive this letter, know that I have sent to you my servant, Naaman, so that you may heal him of his leprosy.”

New American Bible
He brought the king of Israel the letter, which read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

New Revised Standard Version
He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, and this was written in it: In the hour when this letter reaches you, behold, I have sent to you Naaman my servant that you may heal him of his leprosy.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And he brought a letter to the King of Israel, and thus it was written in it: “In the hour which this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent to you Naaman my Servant. Heal him of his leprosy.”

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.'

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now then, as soon as this letter shall reach thee, behold, I have sent to thee my servant Naiman, and thou shalt recover him from his leprosy.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

Naaman Cured of Leprosy
…5“Go now,” said the king of Aram, “and I will send you with a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman departed, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of clothing. 6And the letter that he took to the king of Israel stated: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 7When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and asked, “Am I God, killing and giving life, that this man expects me to cure a leper? Surely you can see that he is seeking a quarrel with me!”…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

Luke 4:27
And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

Matthew 8:2-3
Suddenly a leper came and knelt before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” / Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Mark 1:40-42
Then a leper came to Jesus, begging on his knees: “If You are willing, You can make me clean.” / Moved with compassion, Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” / And immediately the leprosy left him, and the man was cleansed.

Luke 5:12-13
While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell facedown and begged Him, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” / Jesus reached out His hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” He said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

John 4:46-54
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. / When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. / Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” ...

Acts 9:32-35
As Peter traveled throughout the area, he went to visit the saints in Lydda. / There he found a man named Aeneas who had been paralyzed and bedridden for eight years. / “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you! Get up and put away your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up, ...

Acts 10:38
how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him.

Matthew 11:5
The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

Luke 7:22
So He replied, “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor.

John 9:6-7
When Jesus had said this, He spit on the ground, made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. / Then He told him, “Go, wash in the Pool of Siloam” (which means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came back seeing.

Exodus 15:26
saying, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His eyes, and pay attention to His commands, and keep all His statutes, then I will not bring on you any of the diseases I inflicted on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you.”

Leviticus 13:1-3
Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, / “When someone has a swelling or rash or bright spot on his skin that may be an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. / The priest is to examine the infection on his skin, and if the hair in the infection has turned white and the sore appears to be deeper than the skin, it is a skin disease. After the priest examines him, he must pronounce him unclean.

Numbers 12:10-15
As the cloud lifted from above the Tent, suddenly Miriam became leprous, white as snow. Aaron turned toward her, saw that she was leprous, / and said to Moses, “My lord, please do not hold against us this sin we have so foolishly committed. / Please do not let her be like a stillborn infant whose flesh is half consumed when he comes out of his mother’s womb.” ...

Deuteronomy 24:8
In cases of infectious skin diseases, be careful to diligently follow everything the Levitical priests instruct you. Be careful to do as I have commanded them.

2 Kings 7:3-10
Now there were four men with leprosy at the entrance of the city gate, and they said to one another, “Why just sit here until we die? / If we say, ‘Let us go into the city,’ we will die there from the famine in the city; but if we sit here, we will also die. So come now, let us go over to the camp of the Arameans. If they let us live, we will live; if they kill us, we will die.” / So they arose at twilight and went to the camp of the Arameans. But when they came to the outskirts of the camp, there was not a man to be found. ...

Treasury of Scripture

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come to you, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may recover him of his leprosy.

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2 Kings 5

1. Naaman, by the report of a captive maid, is sent to Samaria to be cured of leprosy
8. Elisha, sending him to Jordan cures him
15. He refusing Naaman's gifts grants him some of the earth
20. Gehazi, abusing his master's name unto Naaman, is smitten with leprosy

Berean Study Bible

And the letter that he took
This phrase introduces the formal communication between two sovereign entities, highlighting the diplomatic customs of the ancient Near East. Letters were often used to convey official messages, and their delivery was a matter of great importance. The Hebrew word for "letter" (סֵפֶר, sefer) can also mean "book" or "document," indicating a written record of significance. This underscores the gravity of the request being made.

to the king of Israel
The recipient of the letter is the king of Israel, who at this time was likely Jehoram, son of Ahab. The political context is crucial here, as Israel and Aram (Syria) had a tumultuous relationship, often marked by conflict. The king of Aram's approach to the king of Israel reflects a momentary truce or at least a diplomatic overture, which is significant given their history of enmity.

read
The act of reading the letter signifies the transfer of information and the expectation of a response. In ancient times, reading was a skill often reserved for the educated elite, indicating the importance of the message. The Hebrew root קרא (qara) implies not just reading but proclaiming or calling out, suggesting that the contents of the letter were meant to be taken seriously and acted upon.

'With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you
This part of the verse highlights the personal involvement of the king of Aram in Naaman's plight. Naaman, a high-ranking military commander, is referred to as "my servant," indicating his importance and the king's vested interest in his well-being. The act of sending Naaman with a letter underscores the urgency and personal nature of the request.

so that you may cure him of his leprosy
The expectation placed upon the king of Israel is extraordinary, as leprosy was considered incurable and a sign of divine judgment. The Hebrew word for leprosy, צָרַעַת (tzara'at), covers a range of skin diseases, but its mention here signifies a condition that isolates and stigmatizes. The king of Aram's belief that the king of Israel could cure Naaman suggests either a misunderstanding of Israel's God or a recognition of the divine power associated with the prophet Elisha, who resided in Israel. This sets the stage for a demonstration of God's power and the faith required to access it.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) Now.--Heb., And now, continuing an omitted passage. Only the principal sentence of the letter is given. The message pre-supposes a not altogether hostile relation between the two kings; and the words of the next verse, "He seeketh a quarrel against me," point to the time of comparative lull which ensued after the luckless expedition to Ramoth-gilead (1. Kings 22), and the short reign of the invalid Ahaziah; i.e., to the reign of Jehoram, not to that of Jehoahaz, in which Israel was wholly crushed by Syria (2Kings 13:3-7). Schenkel thinks the Syrian inroads (2Kings 5:2) indicate the reign of Jehu, and that Hazael was the king who wrote the letter, as he was personally acquainted with Elisha (2Kings 5:5, seq.). But, as Thenius remarks, he forgets that the relations between Jehu and Syria were throughout strained to the last degree, so that such a friendly passage between the two kings as is here described is not to be thought of.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - And he brought the letter to the King of Israel, saying. The hostile relations between Syria and Israel would not interfere with the coming and going of a messenger from either king to the other, who would be invested with an ambassadorial character. Now when this letter is come unto thee. We must not suppose that we have here the whole letter, which, no doubt, began with the customary Eastern formalities and elaborate compliments. The historian omits these, and hastens to, communicate to us the main point of the epistle, or rather, perhaps, its main drift, which he states somewhat baldly and bluntly. Behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him - literally, and thou shalt recover him - of his leprosy. The letter made no mention of Elisha. Ben-hadad assumed that, if the King of Israel had in his dominions a person able to cure leprosy, he would be fully cognizant of the fact, and would at once send for him, and call upon him for an exertion of his gift or art. He is not likely to have comprehended the relations in which Kings of Israel stood towards the Jehovistic prophets, but may probably have thought of Elisha "as a sort of chief magus, or as the Israelitish high priest" (Menken), whom the king would have at his beck and call, and whose services would be completely at his disposal.

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

And the letter
הַסֵּ֔פֶר (has·sê·p̄er)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

that he took
וַיָּבֵ֣א (way·yā·ḇê)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the king
מֶ֥לֶךְ (me·leḵ)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king

of Israel
יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל (yiś·rā·’êl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3478: Israel -- 'God strives', another name of Jacob and his desc

stated:
לֵאמֹ֑ר (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“With
וְעַתָּ֗ה (wə·‘at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 6258: At this time

this
הַזֶּה֙ (haz·zeh)
Article | Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 2088: This, that

letter
הַסֵּ֤פֶר (has·sê·p̄er)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

I have sent
שָׁלַ֤חְתִּי (šā·laḥ·tî)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

my servant
עַבְדִּ֔י (‘aḇ·dî)
Noun - masculine singular construct | first person common singular
Strong's 5650: Slave, servant

Naaman,
נַעֲמָ֣ן (na·‘ă·mān)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5283: Naaman -- a descendant of Benjamin, also an Aramean (Syrian) general

so that you may cure him
וַאֲסַפְתּ֖וֹ (wa·’ă·sap̄·tōw)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular | third person masculine singular
Strong's 622: To gather for, any purpose, to receive, take away, remove

of his leprosy.”
מִצָּרַעְתּֽוֹ׃ (miṣ·ṣā·ra‘·tōw)
Preposition-m | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 6883: Leprosy

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OT History: 2 Kings 5:6 He brought the letter to the king (2Ki iiKi ii ki 2 kg 2kg)