Bible Reading Plan

Day 172 - Read 2 Kings 5-6

The commander of the army of Syria named Naaman was a leper. The commander was taken to the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times and be healed. The commander did as he was told, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. Elisha’s servant lied to Elisha and received silver from the commander. He was punished with leprosy. Elisha threw a stick in the Jordan to retrieve an axe head. Elisha told the king of Israel the plans of the king of Syria. The king of Syria sent his men to capture Elisha, but God protected him with many chariots of fire, and the enemy was blinded. Syria attacked Israel. There was a great famine in Samaria. The king of Israel attributed the famine to Elisha.

Broadcast on:: 12 Oct 2024
Audio Format:: other

Welcome to the Daily Bobble Reading. Today, we are reading 2 Kings 5 and 6. The commander of the army of Syria, named Naaman, was a leper. The commander was taken to the door of Elisha's house. Elisha sent a messenger to tell him to wash in the Jordan seven times and be healed. The commander did as he was told, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child. Elisha's servant lied to Elisha and received silver from the commander. He was punished with leprosy. Elisha threw a stick in the Jordan to receive an axe head. Elisha told the king of Israel the plans of the king of Syria. The king of Syria sent his men to capture Elisha, but God protected him with many chariots of fire, and the enemy was blinded. Syria attacked Israel. There was a great famine in Samaria. The king of Israel attributed the famine to Elisha. Read with me in 2 Kings 5. Naaman, the commander of the army of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the Lord took him in victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. Now the Syrians on one of the raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "With that my lord were with the prophet who was in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy." So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus since I spoke the girl from the land of Israel, and the king of Syria said, 'Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.' So he went, taking with him, ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, now that I have sent to you Naaman, my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy. And when the king of Israel read this letter, he tore his clothes and said, 'Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man sends word to me, to cure this man of leprosy? Only consider and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me. But when Elijah, the man of God, heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, 'Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.' So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house, and Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, 'Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, in your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.' But Naaman was angry and went away saying, 'Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me, and stand and call upon the name of the Lord, his God, and wave his hand over the place, and cure the leper. Are not Abana and far apart the rivers of Damascus better than all the waters of Israel? Can not not wash in them and be clean?' So he turned away and went in a rage. But his servants came near and said to him, 'My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you. Will you not do it? Has he actually said to you, wash and be clean?' So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word in the man of God, and the flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. Then he returned to the man of God. He and all his company, he came and stood before him, and he said, 'Behold, I know there is no God in all the earth but in Israel, so except now a present from your servant.' But he said, as the Lord lives before whom I stand, I will receive none, and he urged him to take it, but he refused. The Naaman said, 'If not, please let there be given to your servant two mules, low to the earth, for from now on, your servant will not offer burnt offerings, or sacrifice to any God but the Lord.' In this matter may the Lord pardon your servant. When my master goes into the house of Raman to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Raman, when I bow myself in the house of Raman, the Lord pardon your servant in this matter.' He said to him, 'Go in peace, but when Naaman had gone, from him a short distance, Gahaziah, the servant of the life the man of God said, 'See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, and not accepting from his hand what he brought.' As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him. So Gahazi followed Naaman, and when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from his chariot to meet him and said, 'Is all well?' And he said, 'All is well. My master has sent me to say, 'There have just now come to me from the hill country of Ephraim, two young men, the sons of prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.' And Naaman said, 'Be pleased to accept two talents.' And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver and two bags, with two changes of clothing and laid them on two of his servants, and they carried them before Gahazi. And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent them in a way and they departed. He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, 'Where have you been, Gahazi?' And he said, 'Your servant went nowhere.' But he said to him, 'Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Was it a time to accept money and garments, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, male servants and female servants? Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.' So he went out from his presence a leper like snow. 'Second King's six. Now the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, 'See the place where we dwell under your charge is too small for us.' Let us go to the Jordan and each of us get there a log, and let us make a place for us to dwell there.' And he answered, 'Go.' Then one of them said, 'Be pleased to go with your servants.' And he answered, 'I will go.' So he went with them, and when they came to the Jordan they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his axe head fell into the water and he cried out, 'Alas my master, it was borrowed.' Then the man of God said, 'Where did it fall?' When he showed in the place he cut off a stick and threw it in there and made the iron float. And he said, 'Take it up.' So he reached out his hand and took it. Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel he took counsel with his servants saying, 'At such and such place shall be my camp.' But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, 'Be aware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.' And when the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him, thus he used to warn him so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, 'Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?' And one of his servants said, 'None, my lord, O king.' But Elisha, the prophet, who was in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words, 'You speak in your bedroom.' And he said, 'Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.' It was told, behold, he is in Dothan. So he sent their horses and chariots in a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. When the servant and the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, 'Alas, my master, what shall we do?' He said, 'Do not be afraid, for those who are with us, or more than those who are with them.' Then Elisha prayed and said, 'O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.' So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And when the Syrians came, down against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord and said, 'Please strike these people with blindness.' So he struck them with blindness in accordance with the prayer of Elisha. And Elisha said to them, 'This is not the way, and this is not the city. Follow me, and it will bring you to the man whom you seek.' And he led them to Samaria. And as soon as they entered Samaria, Elisha said, 'O Lord, open the eyes of these men that they may see.' So the Lord opened their eyes, and they saw, and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. As soon as the king of Israel saw them, he said to Elisha, 'My father, shall I strike them down? Shall I strike them down?' He answered, 'You shall not strike them down. Would you strike down those whom you have taken captive with your sword and with your bow?' Said bread and water before them that they may eat and drink and go to their master. So we prepared for them a great feast, and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. And the Syrians did not come again on raids into the land of Israel. Afterward, Ben Hadad King Assyria mustered his entire army and went and besieged Samaria. And there was a great famine in Samaria as they besieged it, until the donkey's head was sold for eight shekels of silver, and the fourth part of a cab of a doves dog, verse five shekels of silver. Now as the king of Israel were passing by the wall, a woman cried out to him, saying, 'Help my Lord, O king.' And he said, 'If the Lord will not help you, how shall I help you?' From the threshing floor or from the winepress. And the king asked her, 'What is your trouble?' She answered him, 'This woman said to me, 'Give your son that we may eat him today, and we will eat my son tomorrow.' So we bolded my son and ate him, and on the next day I said to her, 'Give me your son that we may eat him, but she has hidden her son.' When the king heard the words of the woman, he tore his clothes. Now he was passing by the wall, and the people looked and behold he had sat cloth beneath his body, and he said, 'May God do to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha, the son of Shafat, remains on his shoulders today.' Elisha was sitting in his house, and the elders were sitting with him. Now the king had dispatched a man from his presence, but before the messenger arrived, Elisha said to the elders, 'Do you see how this murderer is sent to take off my head? Look when the messenger comes, shut the door, and hold fast against him. It's not the sound of his master's feet behind him.' And while he was still speaking with them, the messenger came down and said, 'This trouble is from the Lord. Why should I wait from the Lord any longer?'