But if the mildew did not come back after washing, then that piece of leather or cloth is clean. [188] It does not matter if the cloth was woven or knitted. That cloth is clean.”
Elisha sent a messenger to Naaman. {The messenger} said, “Go, and wash in the Jordan River seven times. Then your skin will be healed, and you will be pure and clean.”
So Naaman did what the man of God [47] (Elisha) said. Naaman went down and dipped himself in the Jordan River seven times. And Naaman became pure and clean! Naaman’s skin became soft like the skin of a baby.
But the mildew [187] might come back to that piece of leather or cloth. If that happens, then the mildew is spreading. That piece of leather or cloth must be burned.
Dear friends, we have these promises \{from God\}. So we should make ourselves pure—free from anything that makes our body or our soul unclean. We should try to become perfect in the way we live, because we respect God.
Those gifts and sacrifices were only about food and drink and special washings. Those things were only rules about the body—\{not about things inside people’s hearts\}. God gave those rules \{for his people to follow\} until the time of God’s new way.