"My lord," he said to Jehoram, "my master, Elisha, the prophet, bade me seek thee and say, 'Why hast thou rent thy garments? Sendeth to me this Naaman of Syria that he may know there is a prophet in Israel.'"
Chapter V.
At the appointed time, upon the day following, Naaman again presented himself before Jehoram, king of Israel.
The latter had assembled about him his courtiers, counselors and wise men. He appeared no longer troubled nor disturbed. He looked with serene eyes upon Naaman, into which, however, there flashed a look of loathing as he remembered that the man before him was a leper.
The courtiers, counselors and wise men of the Kingdom also looked with aversion upon Naaman, notwithstanding the nobility of his form, his handsome, proud face and the magnificence of his raiment, for in Israel the leper is an object of intense aversion, and, had Naaman been an Israelite, he would have been banished in spite of his rank, wealth and the services he had rendered to his country.
The king of Israel and those of his court were deeply incensed that Benhadad, king of Syria, had sent into their midst, to the person of the king himself, a man afflicted with leprosy.
Naaman stood, with folded arms and grave face, waiting for the king to speak.
For some moments Jehoram was silent, pondering the wisest and most judicious manner of making known to Naaman his wish regarding him. The king was perfectly sure that Elisha would extricate him from his difficulty, for had not the prophet bade his servant say, 'Why hast thou rent thy garments?' which meant literally, 'Why art thou troubled and of so little faith?'