Megillah 14b (יד:) — the Talmud in English

He said to her:

Nabal!

He is a rebel against the monarchy, and there is no need to deliberate with him.

She said to him:

Although you were anointed for kingship by Samuel,

Saul still lives, and your name has not yet gone out into the world,

for your kingship has not become publicized; therefore, he is not considered a rebel against the monarchy.

He said to her: “Blessed is your discernment, and blessed are you, who have prevented me

from striking you

this day from coming with bloodshed.”

“Bloodshed”—

the word has two meanings!

And what are these two meanings of “blood”?

Rather, this teaches that she uncovered her thigh, and he walked by its light for three parasangs,

and he desired her.

He said to her: “Show yourself to me!”

She said to him: “May this not become a stumbling block for you”

—puka means a stumbling block, as in “weakness of the knees.”

Thus, “blood” has two meanings: the blood of bloodshed and the blood of menstruation.

From her saying to him, “May

this

not become a stumbling block for you,”

it follows that there is

another act of intercourse

that is

one in which he would stumble.

And what is it? The incident involving Bathsheba.

And

this

is indeed how the conclusion turned out,

for he truly stumbled in the matter of Bathsheba. We see that she was a prophetess.

“And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bond of life.”

When she was taking leave of him, she said to him: “And the Lord will certainly do good to my lord, and you will remember your maidservant.”

Rav Naḥman said: This is what people say: “While a woman is engaged in conversation, she spins,”

meaning that while the woman was speaking with him about her husband, she mentioned herself in the course of it. If her husband were to die, David would marry her.

Some say: “Bend down and go, son of a goose, while your eyes look about,”

meaning that one gazes into the distance.

Huldah—

from where do we know that she was a prophetess?

As it is written

when the Torah scroll was found in the days of Josiah: “When the king heard the words of the Torah scroll, he tore his garments, etc. And the king commanded Hilkiah the koen, etc.: ‘Go, inquire of the Lord on my behalf, etc.’”

“And Hilkiah the koen, Ahikam, and Achbor, etc., went”

to Huldah the prophetess, etc.” They chose to go to her to seek the word of God from her.

And we question this:

While Jeremiah was present

—for the prophet Jeremiah was alive at that time; see Rashi—

how could she prophesy?

The Sages of the school of Rav said in the name of Rav: Huldah—

was a relative of Jeremiah,

and therefore

Jeremiah was not

concerned about

her.

And we question this:

And Josiah himself, how could he leave

Jeremiah and

Jeremiah and send to Huldah

to prophesy to him?

The Sages of the school of Rabbi Sheila said: Because women are compassionate.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Jeremiah was not there

at that time,

as he had gone to bring back

the

Ten Tribes

of the kingdom of Israel in Samaria from their exile—the exile into which Shalmaneser and Sennacherib, kings of Assyria, had led them. As it is stated in II Kings, chapter 18.

And from where do we know that

in fact

they returned

the Ten Tribes?

As it is written

in Ezekiel’s prophecy, at the time when he prophesied about the destruction of the First Temple:

“For the seller shall not return to the sold item.”

That is, the Jubilee would be nullified, and one who sold his field would not have it return to him in the Jubilee. We see that the Jubilee was in force in his time.

But how

is it possible

that the Jubilee was in force then?

The Jubilee had already been nullified

in the days of Hezekiah, for the Ten Tribes were exiled in his days, and concerning the Jubilee it is written: “For all its inhabitants”; and we derive from this verse that the Jubilee is in force only when all its inhabitants are upon it.

And

if so, how could

a prophet prophesy concerning it that it would be nullified

in the future?

Rather, this teaches that Jeremiah brought back

the Ten Tribes,

and Josiah son of Amon,

who was one of the kings of Judah,

ruled

also

over them.

They resumed counting the years of shemitta, and Jeremiah then prophesied to them that the Jubilee would again be nullified.

As it is written

concerning Josiah, when he eradicated idolatry from his land and was in Beth-el, where he burned the bones of the priests upon the altar that Jeroboam had built in Beth-el:

“And he said: What is this monument that I see?”

He wondered because this monument was different from the others.

“And the people of the city said to him: It is the grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these matters that you have done against the altar in Beth-el.”

That is, they told him that this grave was that of a prophet who had prophesied many years earlier that the priests’ bones would be burned. As stated in I Kings, chapter 13; see there for the entire incident.

And what business did Josiah have,

the king of Judah,

at the altar in Beth-el?

But Beth-el belonged to the kings of Israel, for there Jeroboam, king of Israel, had set up the calf!?

Rather, this teaches

that the Ten Tribes had returned, and

Josiah

ruled over them.

Rav Naḥman said—

from here

we derive it. As it is written: “Ephraim has committed harlotry; Israel has become impure.” That is, through the sin of Jeroboam, who was from Ephraim, Israel became impure, and as a result they were exiled.

The verse says that nevertheless they had hope through Josiah, who was from Judah. This is what the verse says:

“Judah, too, plant a harvest

—accomplish might and greatness—

for you, when I return the captivity of My people”

[Maharsha].

And as for

Esther,

from where do we know that she was a prophetess?

As it is written: “And it was on the third day that Esther donned royalty.”

But it should have said: “And Esther donned

royal garments”—

it should have said

so!

Rather,

this teaches

that she donned the Divine Spirit.

For

here it is written: “And she donned,”

and there it is written: “And the spirit donned

Amasai, etc.”

Rav Naḥman said: Arrogance is unbecoming for women,

for

there were two arrogant women—

and their names were repulsive

[their names were objectionable].

One

of them—

her name was Zivorta

[Deborah],

and the other—

her name was Karkushta

[Huldah].

Zivorta—

from where do we know that she was arrogant?

For

it is written concerning her: “And she sent and summoned Barak.” But she herself—

did not go to him.

Karkushta—

from where do we know this?

For

it is written concerning her

when she responded to King Josiah:

“Say to the man,” and she did not say, “Say to the king.”

Rav Naḥman said: Huldah—

was a descendant of Joshua.

For

here it is written

concerning Huldah:

“son of

Harhas,” and there it is written

concerning Joshua:

“at Timnat Heres.”

Rav Einai the Elder raised an objection to Rav Naḥman: Eight prophets, and they were koanim,

descended from Rahab the prostitute. And these are they: Neriah, Baruch, Seraiah, Maaseiah, Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Hanamel, and Shalom.

Rabbi Yehuda says: Also the prophetess Huldah—

was a descendant of the descendants of Rahab the prostitute.

For

here it is written, “son of Tikvah,” and there it is written: “the scarlet thread.”

We see that Huldah was a descendant of Rahab the prostitute, and not a descendant of Joshua!?

He said to him: “Elder Einai! And some say: Black pot!

From me and from you

the matter will be concluded;

through me and through you the matter will be clarified, for in truth both statements are correct.

Rahab converted

and

Joshua married

her, and Huldah was descended from them.

and Huldah was descended from them.

And we ask:

Did Joshua have descendants? But it is written

when Scripture traces the lineage of the tribe of Ephraim:

“Nun his son, Joshua his son,”

and from Joshua onward it does not trace the lineage of any man!?

And we answer: Indeed,

sons—

he did not have

Joshua but

daughters

[female descendants]—

he did have.