Leprosy bible study including its cleansing

            Leprosy is a nasty condition which according to the law of Moses caused people to be unclean and separate themselves from people, and even God used it to punish people in certain instances- three of them in the bible (Miriam, Naaman, and Uzziah) , and yet many other people were delivered and miraculously healed and cleansed of their leprosy, first Naaman through Elisha, and on more than one occasion(possibly many occasions) by Jesus in the gospels , who even wants us to cleanse the lepers because He gave us authority over the disease. I am going to explore what the bible says on this topic.

            First up are Leviticus chapters 13 and 14 which cover the disease of leprosy and its implications for the sufferer, and what the sufferer can and cannot do when they have it, what the priest is to do to diagnose and to check for the leprosy’s cleansing and healing, and also offering related to someone’s cleansing and more. I am not putting any comments in between the two chapters.

(Leviticus 13:1)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

(Leviticus 13:2)  "When a person has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a case of leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons the priests,

(Leviticus 13:3)  and the priest shall examine the diseased area on the skin of his body. And if the hair in the diseased area has turned white and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body, it is a case of leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean.

(Leviticus 13:4)  But if the spot is white in the skin of his body and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall shut up the diseased person for seven days.

(Leviticus 13:5)  And the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall shut him up for another seven days.

(Leviticus 13:6)  And the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day, and if the diseased area has faded and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only an eruption. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

(Leviticus 13:7)  But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest.

(Leviticus 13:8)  And the priest shall look, and if the eruption has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a leprous disease.

(Leviticus 13:9)  "When a man is afflicted with a leprous disease, he shall be brought to the priest,

(Leviticus 13:10)  and the priest shall look. And if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white, and there is raw flesh in the swelling,

(Leviticus 13:11)  it is a chronic leprous disease in the skin of his body, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not shut him up, for he is unclean.

(Leviticus 13:12)  And if the leprous disease breaks out in the skin, so that the leprous disease covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see,

(Leviticus 13:13)  then the priest shall look, and if the leprous disease has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him clean of the disease; it has all turned white, and he is clean.

(Leviticus 13:14)  But when raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean.

(Leviticus 13:15)  And the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is a leprous disease.

(Leviticus 13:16)  But if the raw flesh recovers and turns white again, then he shall come to the priest,

(Leviticus 13:17)  and the priest shall examine him, and if the disease has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean; he is clean.

(Leviticus 13:18)  "If there is in the skin of one's body a boil and it heals,

(Leviticus 13:19)  and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot, then it shall be shown to the priest.

(Leviticus 13:20)  And the priest shall look, and if it appears deeper than the skin and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a case of leprous disease that has broken out in the boil.

(Lev iticus13:21)  But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in it and it is not deeper than the skin, but has faded, then the priest shall shut him up seven days.

(Leviticus 13:22)  And if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a disease.

(Leviticus 13:23)  But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

(Leviticus 13:24)  "Or, when the body has a burn on its skin and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white,

(Leviticus 13:25)  the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is a leprous disease. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease.

(Leviticus 13:26)  But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and it is no deeper than the skin, but has faded, the priest shall shut him up seven days,

(Leviticus 13:27)  and the priest shall examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is a case of leprous disease.

(Leviticus 13:28)  But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn.

(Leviticus 13:29)  "When a man or woman has a disease on the head or the beard,

(Leviticus 13:30)  the priest shall examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, a leprous disease of the head or the beard.

(Leviticus 13:31)  And if the priest examines the itching disease and it appears no deeper than the skin and there is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days,

(Leviticus 13:32)  and on the seventh day the priest shall examine the disease. If the itch has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin,

(Leviticus 13:33)  then he shall shave himself, but the itch he shall not shave; and the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for another seven days.

(Leviticus 13:34)  And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch, and if the itch has not spread in the skin and it appears to be no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

(Leviticus 13:35)  But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing,

(Leviticus 13:36)  then the priest shall examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair; he is unclean.

(Leviticus 13:37)  But if in his eyes the itch is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed and he is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

(Leviticus 13:38)  "When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots,

(Leviticus 13:39)  the priest shall look, and if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is leukoderma that has broken out in the skin; he is clean.

(Leviticus 13:40)  "If a man's hair falls out from his head, he is bald; he is clean.

(Leviticus 13:41)  And if a man's hair falls out from his forehead, he has baldness of the forehead; he is clean.

(Leviticus 13:42)  But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead a reddish-white diseased area, it is a leprous disease breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead.

(Leviticus 13:43)  Then the priest shall examine him, and if the diseased swelling is reddish-white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprous disease in the skin of the body,

(Leviticus 13:44)  he is a leprous man, he is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean; his disease is on his head.

(Leviticus 13:45)  "The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip and cry out, 'Unclean, unclean.'

(Leviticus 13:46)  He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean. He shall live alone. His dwelling shall be outside the camp.

(Leviticus 13:47)  "When there is a case of leprous disease in a garment, whether a woolen or a linen garment,

(Leviticus 13:48)  in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin or in anything made of skin,

(Leviticus 13:49)  if the disease is greenish or reddish in the garment, or in the skin or in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin, it is a case of leprous disease, and it shall be shown to the priest.

(Leviticus 13:50)  And the priest shall examine the disease and shut up that which has the disease for seven days.

(Leviticus 13:51)  Then he shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in the skin, whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a persistent leprous disease; it is unclean.

(Leviticus 13:52)  And he shall burn the garment, or the warp or the woof, the wool or the linen, or any article made of skin that is diseased, for it is a persistent leprous disease. It shall be burned in the fire.

(Leviticus 13:53)  "And if the priest examines, and if the disease has not spread in the garment, in the warp or the woof or in any article made of skin,

(Leviticus 13:54)  then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up for another seven days.

(Leviticus 13:55)  And the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the appearance of the diseased area has not changed, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the rot is on the back or on the front.

(Leviticus 13:56)  "But if the priest examines, and if the diseased area has faded after it has been washed, he shall tear it out of the garment or the skin or the warp or the woof.

(Leviticus 13:57)  Then if it appears again in the garment, in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, it is spreading. You shall burn with fire whatever has the disease.

(Leviticus 13:58)  But the garment, or the warp or the woof, or any article made of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall then be washed a second time, and be clean."

(Leviticus 13:59)  This is the law for a case of leprous disease in a garment of wool or linen, either in the warp or the woof, or in any article made of skin, to determine whether it is clean or unclean.

(Leviticus 14:1)  The LORD spoke to Moses, saying,

(Leviticus 14:2)  "This shall be the law of the leprous person for the day of his cleansing. He shall be brought to the priest,

(Leviticus 14:3)  and the priest shall go out of the camp, and the priest shall look. Then, if the case of leprous disease is healed in the leprous person,

(Leviticus 14:4)  the priest shall command them to take for him who is to be cleansed two live clean birds and cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop.

(Leviticus 14:5)  And the priest shall command them to kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water.

(Leviticus 14:6)  He shall take the live bird with the cedarwood and the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, and dip them and the live bird in the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water.

(Leviticus 14:7)  And he shall sprinkle it seven times on him who is to be cleansed of the leprous disease. Then he shall pronounce him clean and shall let the living bird go into the open field.

(Leviticus 14:8)  And he who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes and shave off all his hair and bathe himself in water, and he shall be clean. And after that he may come into the camp, but live outside his tent seven days.

(Leviticus 14:9)  And on the seventh day he shall shave off all his hair from his head, his beard, and his eyebrows. He shall shave off all his hair, and then he shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and he shall be clean.

(Leviticus 14:10)  "And on the eighth day he shall take two male lambs without blemish, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish, and a grain offering of three tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil, and one log of oil.

(Leviticus 14:11)  And the priest who cleanses him shall set the man who is to be cleansed and these things before the LORD, at the entrance of the tent of meeting.

(Leviticus 14:12)  And the priest shall take one of the male lambs and offer it for a guilt offering, along with the log of oil, and wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:13)  And he shall kill the lamb in the place where they kill the sin offering and the burnt offering, in the place of the sanctuary. For the guilt offering, like the sin offering, belongs to the priest; it is most holy.

(Leviticus 14:14)  The priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering, and the priest shall put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

(Leviticus 14:15)  Then the priest shall take some of the log of oil and pour it into the palm of his own left hand

(Leviticus 14:16)  and dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand and sprinkle some oil with his finger seven times before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:17)  And some of the oil that remains in his hand the priest shall put on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, on top of the blood of the guilt offering.

(Leviticus 14:18)  And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed. Then the priest shall make atonement for him before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:19)  The priest shall offer the sin offering, to make atonement for him who is to be cleansed from his uncleanness. And afterward he shall kill the burnt offering.

(Leviticus 14:20)  And the priest shall offer the burnt offering and the grain offering on the altar. Thus the priest shall make atonement for him, and he shall be clean.

(Leviticus 14:21)  "But if he is poor and cannot afford so much, then he shall take one male lamb for a guilt offering to be waved, to make atonement for him, and a tenth of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering, and a log of oil;

(Leviticus 14:22)  also two turtledoves or two pigeons, whichever he can afford. The one shall be a sin offering and the other a burnt offering.

(Leviticus 14:23)  And on the eighth day he shall bring them for his cleansing to the priest, to the entrance of the tent of meeting, before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:24)  And the priest shall take the lamb of the guilt offering and the log of oil, and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:25)  And he shall kill the lamb of the guilt offering. And the priest shall take some of the blood of the guilt offering and put it on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed, and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot.

(Leviticus 14:26)  And the priest shall pour some of the oil into the palm of his own left hand,

(Leviticus 14:27)  and shall sprinkle with his right finger some of the oil that is in his left hand seven times before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:28)  And the priest shall put some of the oil that is in his hand on the lobe of the right ear of him who is to be cleansed and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot, in the place where the blood of the guilt offering was put.

(Leviticus 14:29)  And the rest of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall put on the head of him who is to be cleansed, to make atonement for him before the LORD.

(Leviticus 14:30)  And he shall offer, of the turtledoves or pigeons, whichever he can afford,

(Leviticus 14:31)  one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, along with a grain offering. And the priest shall make atonement before the LORD for him who is being cleansed.

(Leviticus 14:32)  This is the law for him in whom is a case of leprous disease, who cannot afford the offerings for his cleansing."

(Leviticus 14:33)  The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying,

(Leviticus 14:34)  "When you come into the land of Canaan, which I give you for a possession, and I put a case of leprous disease in a house in the land of your possession,

(Leviticus 14:35)  then he who owns the house shall come and tell the priest, 'There seems to me to be some case of disease in my house.'

(Leviticus 14:36)  Then the priest shall command that they empty the house before the priest goes to examine the disease, lest all that is in the house be declared unclean. And afterward the priest shall go in to see the house.

(Leviticus 14:37)  And he shall examine the disease. And if the disease is in the walls of the house with greenish or reddish spots, and if it appears to be deeper than the surface,

(Leviticus 14:38)  then the priest shall go out of the house to the door of the house and shut up the house seven days.

(Leviticus 14:39)  And the priest shall come again on the seventh day, and look. If the disease has spread in the walls of the house,

(Leviticus 14:40)  then the priest shall command that they take out the stones in which is the disease and throw them into an unclean place outside the city.

(Leviticus 14:41)  And he shall have the inside of the house scraped all around, and the plaster that they scrape off they shall pour out in an unclean place outside the city.

(Leviticus 14:42)  Then they shall take other stones and put them in the place of those stones, and he shall take other plaster and plaster the house.

(Leviticus 14:43)  "If the disease breaks out again in the house, after he has taken out the stones and scraped the house and plastered it,

(Leviticus 14:44)  then the priest shall go and look. And if the disease has spread in the house, it is a persistent leprous disease in the house; it is unclean.

(Leviticus 14:45)  And he shall break down the house, its stones and timber and all the plaster of the house, and he shall carry them out of the city to an unclean place.

(Leviticus 14:46)  Moreover, whoever enters the house while it is shut up shall be unclean until the evening,

(Leviticus 14:47)  and whoever sleeps in the house shall wash his clothes, and whoever eats in the house shall wash his clothes.

(Leviticus 14:48)  "But if the priest comes and looks, and if the disease has not spread in the house after the house was plastered, then the priest shall pronounce the house clean, for the disease is healed.

(Leviticus 14:49)  And for the cleansing of the house he shall take two small birds, with cedarwood and scarlet yarn and hyssop,

(Leviticus 14:50)  and shall kill one of the birds in an earthenware vessel over fresh water

(Leviticus 14:51)  and shall take the cedarwood and the hyssop and the scarlet yarn, along with the live bird, and dip them in the blood of the bird that was killed and in the fresh water and sprinkle the house seven times.

(Leviticus 14:52)  Thus he shall cleanse the house with the blood of the bird and with the fresh water and with the live bird and with the cedarwood and hyssop and scarlet yarn.

(Leviticus 14:53)  And he shall let the live bird go out of the city into the open country. So he shall make atonement for the house, and it shall be clean."

(Leviticus 14:54)  This is the law for any case of leprous disease: for an itch,

(Leviticus 14:55)  for leprous disease in a garment or in a house,

(Leviticus 14:56)  and for a swelling or an eruption or a spot,

(Leviticus 14:57)  to show when it is unclean and when it is clean. This is the law for leprous disease.

In Exodus 4, God very briefly gives Moses leprosy on Moses’ hand to show and prove to Moses and the Israelites by that sign

(Exodus 4:6)  Again, the LORD said to him, "Put your hand inside your cloak." And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow.

(Exodus 4:7)  Then God said, "Put your hand back inside your cloak." So he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.

(Exodus 4:8)  "If they will not believe you," God said, "or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.

In Numbers chapter 12 Miriam is punished by having leprosy for a week because of her and Aaron’s envy over the Lord speaking out to Moses, and seemingly not speaking to them and they complained about that fact- they did confess the sin but the Lord wanted them to be put out of the camp for a week- so this punishment was only temporary although Moses did intercede for Miriam in this situation

(Numbers 12:1)  Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married, for he had married a Cushite woman.

(Numbers 12:2)  And they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it.

(Numbers 12:3)  Now the man Moses was very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth.

(Numbers 12:4)  And suddenly the LORD said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, "Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting." And the three of them came out.

(Numbers 12:5)  And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron and Miriam, and they both came forward.

(Numbers 12:6)  And he said, "Hear my words: If there is a prophet among you, I the LORD make myself known to him in a vision; I speak with him in a dream.

(Numbers 12:7)  Not so with my servant Moses. He is faithful in all my house.

(Numbers 12:8)  With him I speak mouth to mouth, clearly, and not in riddles, and he beholds the form of the LORD. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?"

(Numbers 12:9)  And the anger of the LORD was kindled against them, and he departed.

(Numbers 12:10)  When the cloud removed from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow. And Aaron turned toward Miriam, and behold, she was leprous.

(Numbers 12:11)  And Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, do not punish us because we have done foolishly and have sinned.

(Numbers 12:12)  Let her not be as one dead, whose flesh is half eaten away when he comes out of his mother's womb."

(Numbers 12:13)  And Moses cried to the LORD, "O God, please heal her--please."

(Numbers 12:14)  But the LORD said to Moses, "If her father had but spit in her face, should she not be shamed seven days? Let her be shut outside the camp seven days, and after that she may be brought in again."

(Numbers 12:15)  So Miriam was shut outside the camp seven days, and the people did not set out on the march till Miriam was brought in again.

(Numbers 12:16)  After that the people set out from Hazeroth, and camped in the wilderness of Paran.

Here is the story of the deliverance and of Naaman from leprosy by God through the prophet Elisha in 2 Kings chapter 5 when Naaman washed in the river Jordan seven times but also Elisha’s servant Gehazi’s punishment from God, stricken with leprosy for his greed in that Gehazi took wrongly from Naaman several different things, seeking Naaman out to do this, for what really was an act of God(Elisha refused a gift earlier)

(2 Kings 5:1)  Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master and in high favor, because by him the LORD had given victory to Syria. He was a mighty man of valor, but he was a leper.

(2 Kings 5:2)  Now the Syrians on one of their raids had carried off a little girl from the land of Israel, and she worked in the service of Naaman's wife.

(2 Kings 5:3)  She said to her mistress, "Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

(2 Kings 5:4)  So Naaman went in and told his lord, "Thus and so spoke the girl from the land of Israel."

(2 Kings 5:5)  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.

(2 Kings 5:6)  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."

(2 Kings 5:7)  And when the king of Israel read the 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 a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me."

(2 Kings 5:8)  But when Elisha 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."

(2 Kings 5:9)  So Naaman came with his horses and chariots and stood at the door of Elisha's house.

(2 Kings 5:10)  And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean."

(2 Kings 5:11)  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.

(2 Kings 5:12)  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" So he turned and went away in a rage.

(2 Kings 5:13)  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'?"

(2 Kings 5:14)  So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

(2 Kings 5:15)  Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, "Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel; so accept now a present from your servant."

(2 Kings 5:16)  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.

(2 Kings 5:17)  Then Naaman said, "If not, please let there be given to your servant two mules' load of earth, for from now on your servant will not offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god but the LORD.

(2 Kings 5:18)  In this matter may the LORD pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, the LORD pardon your servant in this matter."

(2 Kings 5:19)  He said to him, "Go in peace." But when Naaman had gone from him a short distance,

(2 Kings 5:20)  Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said, "See, my master has spared this Naaman the Syrian, in not accepting from his hand what he brought. As the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him."

(2 Kings 5:21)  So Gehazi followed Naaman. And when Naaman saw someone running after him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and said, "Is all well?"

(2 Kings 5:22)  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 of the sons of the prophets. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothing.'"

(2 Kings 5:23)  And Naaman said, "Be pleased to accept two talents." And he urged him and tied up two talents of silver in two bags, with two changes of clothing, and laid them on two of his servants. And they carried them before Gehazi.

(2 Kings 5:24)  And when he came to the hill, he took them from their hand and put them in the house, and he sent the men away, and they departed.

(2 Kings 5:25)  He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, "Where have you been, Gehazi?" And he said, "Your servant went nowhere."

(2 Kings 5:26)  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?

(2 Kings 5:27)  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.

As the account in 2 Chronicles chapter 26 relates another person who was punished with leprosy was King Uzziah because he grew proud and then as a result of the pride then usurped the priests office going in to offer incense which then was only the high priest’s job and as a result he was punished by Godwith leprosy for that act and his pride(the motivator of Uzziah’s usurping the priests office in that case)- God always sees the heart motive of all our actions- whether they are wise- or as in the case of Uzziah (and others) very foolish and wrongfully motivated.

(2 Chronicles 26:15)  In Jerusalem he made engines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong.

(2 Chronicles 26:16)  But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense.

(2 Chronicles 26:17)  But Azariah the priest went in after him, with eighty priests of the LORD who were men of valor,

(2 Chronicles 26:18)  and they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God."

(2 Chronicles 26:19)  Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense.

(2 Chronicles 26:20)  And Azariah the chief priest and all the priests looked at him, and behold, he was leprous in his forehead! And they rushed him out quickly, and he himself hurried to go out, because the LORD had struck him.

(2 Chronicles 26:21)  And King Uzziah was a leper to the day of his death, and being a leper lived in a separate house, for he was excluded from the house of the LORD. And Jotham his son was over the king's household, governing the people of the land.

(2 Chronicles 26:22)  Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, from first to last, Isaiah the prophet the son of Amoz wrote.

(2 Chronicles 26:23)  And Uzziah slept with his fathers, and they buried him with his fathers in the burial field that belonged to the kings, for they said, "He is a leper." And Jotham his son reigned in his place.

Here is the account of Jesus cleansing a leper who that had come to Him and worshipped Him seeking the cleansing in Matthew chapter 8

(Matthew 8:1)  When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

(Matthew 8:2)  And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

(Matthew 8:3)  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

(Matthew 8:4)  And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to them."

Here is the same account of the same cleansing of the leper shown with a bit more detail in Mark chapter 1

(Mark 1:39)  And he went throughout all Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.

(Mark 1:40)  And a leper came to him, imploring him, and kneeling said to him, "If you will, you can make me clean."

(Mark 1:41)  Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will; be clean."

(Mark 1:42)  And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.

(Mark 1:43)  And Jesus sternly charged him and sent him away at once,

(Mark 1:44)  and said to him, "See that you say nothing to anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing what Moses commanded, for a proof to them."

(Mark 1:45)  But he went out and began to talk freely about it, and to spread the news, so that Jesus could no longer openly enter a town, but was out in desolate places, and people were coming to him from every quarter.

Here also is another account of this same leper’s cleansing  in Luke chapter 5

(Luke 5:12)  While he was in one of the cities, there came a man full of leprosy. And when he saw Jesus, he fell on his face and begged him, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."

(Luke 5:13)  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately the leprosy left him.

(Luke 5:14)  And he charged him to tell no one, but "go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as Moses commanded, for a proof to them."

(Luke 5:15)  But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities.

In Luke chapter 17 is the account of the cleansing of the ten lepers who were sent to the priests by Jesus, but only one ever returned to Jesus to give Him thanks and praise for His cleansing to whom Jesus said “your faith has made you well” and Jesus wondered where the other nine cleansed went for He knew that all ten of the men who came to Him were indeed cleansed even though only the one ever returned to give Jesus thanks for the cleansing.

(Luke 17:11)  On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.

(Luke 17:12)  And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance

(Luke 17:13)  and lifted up their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us."

(Luke 17:14)  When he saw them he said to them, "Go and show yourselves to the priests." And as they went they were cleansed.

(Luke 17:15)  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;

(Luke 17:16)  and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.

(Luke 17:17)  Then Jesus answered, "Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?

(Luke 17:18)  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?"

(Luke 17:19)  And he said to him, "Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well."

In Matthew chapter 11, from what Jesus said to John’s disciples it is very possible, even likely that many other lepers were cleansed too besides those mentioned but it wasn’t mentioned in the gospels.

(Matthew 11:2)  Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples

(Matthew 11:3)  and said to him, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?"

(Matthew 11:4)  And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:

(Matthew 11:5)  the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.

(Matthew 11:6)  And blessed is the one who is not offended by me."

From these last verses in John it is very possible many other lepers were cleansed but the accounts of them were not mentioned in the gospels

(Joh  21:24)  This is the disciple who is bearing witness about these things, and who has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true.

(John 21:25)  Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.

In the commissioning of the disciples in Matthew 10 then Jesus then commands them- and us- to cleanse the lepers, too

(Matthew 10:5)  These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,

(Matthew 10:6)  but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

(Matthew 10:7)  And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'

(Matthew 10:8)  Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.

In this passage in John 14 Jesus promises that we ourselves will do all that He did and greater works and that Jesus will do as we ask and send a helper- so yes we will be even able to pray for lepers and see them cleansed nowadays too.

(John 14:12)  "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.

(John 14:13)  Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

(John 14:14)  If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.

(John 14:15)  "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

(John 14:16)  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever,

(John 14:17)  even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

(John 14:18)  "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

(John 14:19)  Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

(John 14:20)  In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.

Leprosy was a bad thing- then and now- but as shown in the bible God has had mercy on the lepers and still does- for He never changes, even though He may even smite someone with the disease to punish them for wrongdoing- He did in the bible as shown above. I believe too that we as Christians are expected to pray for the lepers’ cleansing nowadays and be of faith of cleansing from what is said in scripture in Matthew 10 and John 14. It is one of God’s ways to have mercy on us there are many others. God sent Jesus (who cleansed many lepers) to die for all of our sins, out of mercy wanting a relationship with us, mankind one that was broken by man’s sins but then the act of Jesus going on the cross enabled that relationship to be restored once and for all. Jesus went willingly to the cross, for He Himself wanted that relationship to happen with man due to His love for man. There is absolutely nothing in this world that can remotely compare with the love relationship with God, nothing at all even comes remotely close. I am now including a prayer with which You can invite Jesus into your heart to begin this love relationship to which nothing can compare. Please pray this prayer with me

Dear God in heaven, I come to you in the name of Jesus. I acknowledge to You that I am a sinner, and I am sorry for my sins and the life that I have lived; I need your forgiveness. I believe that your only begotten Son Jesus Christ shed His precious blood on the cross at Calvary and died for my sins, and I am now willing to turn from my sin. You said in Your Holy Word, Romans 10:9 that if we confess Jesus as our Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Jesus from the dead, we will be saved. Right now I confess Jesus as the Lord of my soul. With my heart, I believe that God raised Jesus from the dead. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as my own personal Savior and according to His Word, right now I am saved. Thank you Jesus for your unlimited grace which has saved me from my sins. I thank you Jesus that your grace never leads to license, but rather it always leads to repentance. Therefore Lord Jesus transform my life so that I may bring glory and honor to you alone and not to myself. Thank you Jesus for dying for me and giving me eternal life.

Amen.