The Bible Story Part 190

And when the child was grown, it happened one day, that he went out to his father to the reapers. And he said to his father, "My head! my head!"

And he said to his servant, "Carry him to his mother." And when he had taken him, and brought him to his mother, he sat on her knees till noon, and then died. And she went up and laid him on the bed of the man of G.o.d, and shut the door upon him, and went out. And she called to her husband, and said, "Send me, I pray thee, one of the servants, and one of the a.s.ses, that I may run to the man of G.o.d, and come again."

And he said, "Wherefore wilt thou go to him to-day? it is neither new moon nor Sabbath."

And she said, "It shall be well."

Then she saddled an a.s.s, and said to her servant, "Drive, and go forward; slacken not the riding, except I bid thee."

So she went, and came to the man of G.o.d to Mount Carmel. And it came to pa.s.s, when the man of G.o.d saw her afar off, that he said to Gehazi his servant, "Behold, yonder is the Shunammite: run, I pray thee, now to meet {142} her, and say to her, 'Is it well with thee? is it well with thy husband? is it well with the child?'"

And she answered, "It is well."

And when she came to the man of G.o.d to the hill, she caught hold of his feet. And Gehazi came near to thrust her away; but the man of G.o.d said, "Let her alone: for her soul is vexed within her; and the Lord hath hid it from me, and hath not told me."

Then she said, "Did I desire a son of my lord? did I not say, 'Do not deceive me'?"

Then he said to Gehazi, "Gird up thy loins, and take my staff in thine hand, and go thy way: if thou meet any man, salute him not; and if any salute thee, answer him not again: and lay my staff upon the face of the child."

And the mother of the child said, "As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee."

And he arose, and followed her. And Gehazi pa.s.sed on before them, and laid the staff upon the face of the child; but there was neither voice, nor hearing.

Wherefore he returned to meet him, and told him, saying, "The child is not awaked."

And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. He went in therefore, and shut the door, and prayed to the Lord. And he went up, and lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands: and he stretched himself upon him; and the flesh of the child became warm. Then he returned, and walked in the house once to and fro; and went up and {143} stretched himself upon him: and the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes.

And he called Gehazi, and said, "Call this Shunammite."

So he called her. And when she was come to him, he said, "Take up thy son."

Then she went in, and fell at his feet, and bowed herself to the ground; and she took up her son, and went out.

_How a Great Soldier Was Healed of Leprosy_.

Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honorable, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria: he was also a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper. And the Syrians had gone out in bands, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.

And she said to her mistress, "Would G.o.d my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! then would he heal him of his leprosy."

And one went in, and told his lord, saying, "Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel."

And the king of Syria said, "Go now, go, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel."

And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment. And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, "And now when this letter is come to thee, behold, {144} I have sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest heal him of his leprosy."

And it came to pa.s.s, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, "Am I G.o.d, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send to me to recover a man of his leprosy? but consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me."

And, when Elisha the man of G.o.d heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, he sent to the king, saying, "Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel."

So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariots, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean."

But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, "Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his G.o.d, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leper.'

Are not Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.

And his servants came near, and spoke to him, and said, "My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, 'Wash, and be clean?'"

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[Ill.u.s.tration]

SHUNAMMITE BOY

Photograph taken by Mrs. Frank L. Goodspeed of Springfield, Ma.s.s., and used by her kind permission.

This is a charming picture of a modern Shunammite boy. Just so must have looked the son of the wealthy Shunammite of Elisha's day as he left her in the morning to follow his father in the harvest fields.

[End ill.u.s.tration]

{147}

Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of G.o.d: and his flesh came again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. And he returned to the man of G.o.d, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, "Behold now, I know that there is no G.o.d in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a present from thy servant."

But he said, "As the Lord liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none." And he urged him to take it; but he refused.

And Naaman said, "If not, yet I pray thee let there be given to thy servant two mules' burden of earth; for thy servant will henceforth offer neither burnt offering nor sacrifice unto other G.o.ds, but to the Lord. In this thing the Lord pardon thy servant; when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to wors.h.i.+p there, and he leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the Lord pardon thy servant in this thing."

And he said to him, "Go in peace." So he departed from him a little way.

But Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of G.o.d, said, "Behold, my master hath spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not receiving at his hands that which he brought: as the Lord liveth, I will run after him, and take something from him."

So Gehazi followed after Naaman. And when Naaman saw one running after him, he alighted from the chariot to meet him, and said, "Is all well?"

And he said, "All is well. My master hath sent me, {148} saying, 'Behold, even now there are come to me from the hill country of Ephraim two young men of the sons of the prophets; give them, I pray thee, a talent of silver, and two changes of raiment.'"

And Naaman said, "Be pleased to take two talents."

And he urged him, and bound two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of raiment, and laid them upon two of his servants; and they bore them before him.

And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand, and stowed them in the house: and he let the men go, and they departed. But he went in, and stood before his master.

And Elisha said to him, "Whence comest thou, Gehazi?"

And he said, "Thy servant went nowhere."

And he said to him, "Went not mine heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee? Is it a time to receive money, and to receive garments, and oliveyards and vineyards, and sheep and oxen, and menservants and maidservants? The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave to thee, and unto thy seed for ever."

And he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.