Scripture Verse

Go and wash in Jordan. 2 Kings 5:10

Introduction

Words & Mu­sic: Charles A. Tind­ley, 1901 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Charles Tindley (1851–1933)

Lyrics

illustration
Elisha Refusing Naaman’s Gifts
Pieter de Grebber, 17th Century

There was Na­aman the le­per, that hon’r­able man,
A cap­tain of the Sy­ri­an host;
He was bad­ly af­flict­ed and sick in the land,
And a bur­den to all of his host;
O my, what a sight! his dis­ease made him white,
No doc­tor could help him I’ve seen;
He ne­ver did pray, and he knew not the way
To get in­to the beau­ti­ful stream.

Refrain

Go wash in the beau­ti­ful stream,
Go wash in the beau­ti­ful stream,
O Naa­man, O Naa­man, go down and wash,
Go wash in the beau­ti­ful stream.

He heard of a man in the He­brew land,
A lit­tle maid told him about;
I’ll go if I can, he said to his friend,
For he may re­lieve me, no doubt;
So he went and called on the ser­vant of God,
And Eli­sha re­fused to be seen.
But he lifted his bur­den and sent him to Jor­dan,
To wash in the beau­ti­ful stream.

Refrain

So Naa­man went on, and the ser­vant had gone
Whom Eli­sha had sent to the door;
He did not be­lieve that He had re­ceived
From the pro­phet a per­fect cure;
He thought that the ri­vers down in his own land
Were bet­ter be­cause they were clean;
It was just about night when he got in the light
And plunged in­to the beau­ti­ful stream.

Refrain

O sin­ner, O sin­ner, are you not the same
As Naa­man that not­ed Sy­ri­an?
Your sick­ness in­jures both bo­dy and soul,
And makes you feel loath­some and mean.
If you feel you are lost, just shoul­der the cross,
And Je­sus will then make you clean.
If you feel you are sick, just come along quick,
And get in­to the beau­ti­ful stream.

Refrain