Megillah 14b — the Talmud in English

He said to her:

Villain!

He is a rebel against the monarchy, and there is no need to judge his case.

She said to him:

Indeed, you were anointed for kingship by Samuel, but

Saul still exists, and your reputation has not yet gone out into the world,

for your kingship has not become publicized; and 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 proceeding]

this day from coming with bloodshed.”

“Bloodshed”—

it has two meanings!

And what are these two bloods?

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

and he desired her.

He said to her: Let me hear you!

She said to him: “This shall not be a stumbling-block for you”

[puka means a stumbling-block, as in “a stumbling of the knees”].

And this is the two bloods: the blood of bloodshed and the blood of menstruation .

From the fact that she said to him, “This shall not be

this

a stumbling-block for you”—

by implication, there is

another intercourse

afterward

in which he will stumble.

And what is it? The incident of Bathsheba.

And

this

is indeed how the conclusion was,

for in truth he stumbled with Bathsheba. We see that she was a prophetess.

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

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

Rav Nahman said: This is what people say: When a woman is engaged in conversation, her spindle is in her hand,

while the woman speaks, she spins. That is, while she spoke with him about her husband, she mentioned herself in the course of it: if her husband dies, David will marry her .

Some say: Bend down and walk, son of a goose, and his eyes are looking about —

looking into the distance.

Huldah—

from where do we know that she was a prophetess?

For it is written

when the Torah scroll was found in the days of Josiah: “And it was, when the king heard the words of the Torah scroll, that he tore his garments, etc. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, etc.: Go, inquire of the Lord for me, etc.”

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

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

And we raise a difficulty:

And where Jeremiah was present

[for Jeremiah the prophet was alive at that time; see Rashi],

how did she prophesy ?

They said in the academy of Rav in the name of Rav: Huldah—

was a relative of Jeremiah,

and therefore

Jeremiah was not

concerned with

her.

And we raise a difficulty:

And Josiah himself, how did he leave

Jeremiah and

send to her

that Huldah should prophesy to him?

They said in the academy of Rabbi Shila: Because women are compassionate .

Rabbi Yohanan said: Jeremiah was not there

at that time,

for he had gone to bring back

the

ten tribes

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

And from where do we know that

in truth

they returned

the ten tribes?

For it is written

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

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

That is, the Jubilee will be annulled, and one who sells his field will not have it return to him at the Jubilee. We see that the Jubilee was practiced in its time.

And how

is it possible

that the Jubilee was practiced then? But

the Jubilee had already been annulled

in the days of Hezekiah, for in his days the ten tribes were exiled, and it is written concerning the Jubilee: “For all its inhabitants,” and we expound from this verse that the Jubilee is practiced specifically when all its inhabitants are upon it.

And

if so, how could a

prophet prophesy concerning it that it would be annulled

in the future?

Rather, this teaches that Jeremiah brought back

the ten tribes,

and Josiah the son of Amon,

who was among the kings of Judah,

ruled

also

over them.

And they again began to count the years of remission, and then Jeremiah prophesied concerning them that the Jubilee would again be annulled.

For it is written

concerning Josiah, when he eradicated idolatry from his land, and was in Bethel, and burned the bones of the priests upon the altar that Jeroboam had made in Bethel:

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

[He wondered because this monument was different from others.]

“And the men of the city said to him: The grave of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done upon the altar in Bethel.”

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

And what business did Josiah

the king of Judah

have at the altar in Bethel?

But Bethel belonged to the kings of Israel, for there Jeroboam, king of Israel, set up the calf!?

Rather, this teaches

that the ten tribes returned, and

Josiah

ruled over them.

Rav Nahman said—

from here

we derive it. For 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 through this they were exiled.

And the verse says that nevertheless they have hope through Josiah, who was from Judah. And this is what the verse says:

“Judah too, put forth a harvest

[did valor and greatness]

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

[Maharsha].

And

Esther

from where do we know that she was a prophetess?

For it is written: “And it was on the third day, and Esther clothed herself with royalty” .

But “and Esther clothed herself with

royal garments”—

it should have said

to express this!?

Rather,

it teaches

that the holy spirit clothed her .

For

here it is written: “And she clothed herself,”

and there it is written: “And a spirit clothed

Amasai, etc.”

Rav Nahman said: Arrogance is not fitting for women,

for

there were two arrogant women—

and their names were repulsive

[their names were detestable] .

One

of them—

her name was Ziborta

[Deborah],

and one—

her name was Karkushta

[Huldah].

Ziborta—

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?

For

it is written concerning her

when she answered King Josiah:

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

Rav Nahman said: Huldah—

was among the descendants of Joshua.

For

here it is written,

concerning Huldah:

“Son of

Harhas,” and there it is written,

concerning Joshua:

“In Timnath Heres.”

Rav Einai the Elder raised an objection to Rav Nahman: Eight prophets, and they were priests,

emerged from Rahab the harlot. And these are they: Neriah, Baruch, Seraiah, Mahseiah, Jeremiah, Hilkiah, Hanamel, and Shallum.

Rabbi Judah says: Also the prophetess Huldah—

was among the descendants of Rahab the harlot.

For

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

We see that Huldah was among the descendants of Rahab the harlot, and not among the descendants of Joshua!?

He said to him: Elder of the eye! And some say: Blackened vessel!

From me and from you—

the teaching shall be concluded,

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

For Rahab converted

Rahab ,

and Joshua married

her ,

and Huldah was descended from them.

And we ask:

And did Joshua have offspring? But it is written

when Scripture traces the tribe of Ephraim:

“Nun his son, Joshua his son,”

and from Joshua onward no man is traced?!

And we answer: Indeed,

sons—

he did not have

Joshua , but

daughters

[he had daughters]—

he did have.