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The Talmud, by Joseph Barclay, [1878], at sacred-texts.com
1. All Israel have a portion in the world to come, as is said, "Thy people also shall be all righteous," 2 etc. And these are they who have no portion in the world to come: he who says there is no resurrection of the dead in the law, and that there is no revealed law from heaven, and the Epicurean. R. Akiba said, "even he who reads in forbidden 3 books, and he who mutters over a wound;" and he said, "I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." 4 Aba Shaul said, "even to meditate the NAME 5 in its letters."
2. Three kings and four ordinary persons have no portion in the world to come. Three kings, Jeroboam, Ahab, and
[paragraph continues] Manasseh. R. Judah said, "Manasseh had a portion in the world to come," as is said, "And prayed unto hire, and he was entreated of him, and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem into his kingdom." 1 The Sages said to him, "He brought him back to his kingdom, but He did not bring him back to life in the world to come." Four ordinary persons, Balaam, and Doeg, and Ahitophel, and Gehazi, have no portion in the world to come.
3. The generation of the deluge has no portion in the world to come, and they stand not in judgment, as is said, "My Spirit shall not always strive with man." 2 (They have) neither judgment nor spirit. The generation of the dispersion has no portion in the world to come, as is said, "So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth." 3 And the Lord scattered them in this world, and from thence the Lord scattered them in the world to come. The men of Sodom have no portion in the world to come, as is said, "But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly," 4 wicked in this world, and sinners in the world to come. But they will stand in judgment. R. Nehemiah said, "neither one nor other will stand in judgment," as is said, "Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous." 5 "Therefore the wicked shall not stand in judgment;" this is the generation of the deluge: "Nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;" "these are the men of Sodom." The (Sages) said to him, "they do not stand in the congregation of the righteous, but they stand in the congregation of the wicked." The spies have no portion in the world to come, as is said, "Even those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the Lord." 6 And they died in this world. They also died in the plague in the world to come. "The generation of the wilderness has no portion in the world to come, and they will not stand in judgment, as is said, 'In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die.'" 7 The
words of R. Akiba. R. Eliezer said, "of them He said, 'Gather my saints together unto me, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.'" 1 "The congregation of Korah will not come up, as is said, 'And the earth closed upon them' 2 in this world. 'And they perished from among the congregation' in the world to come." The words of R. Akiba. R. Eliezer said, "of them he said, 'The Lord killeth and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave and bringeth up.'" 3 "The ten tribes will not return, as is said, 'And cast them into another land, as it is this day;' 4 as the day departs and does not return, so they depart and do not return." The words of R. Akiba. R. Eliezer said, "as the day darkens and brightens, so will it be with the ten tribes; as it was dark for them, so will it be bright for them."
4. The men of a city withdrawn to idolatry have no portion in the world to come, as is said, "Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you and have withdrawn the inhabitants of their city," 5 and they are not to be killed till the withdrawers be from the city itself and from the tribe itself, and till it withdraw the majority, and till the withdrawers be men. If the withdrawers be women, or children, or the minority be withdrawn, or the withdrawers be outside it, they are to be treated singly, and they need two witnesses, and a warning to each one of them. It is more grievous for individuals than for the multitude, because individuals must be stoned, though for that reason their money is safe for their heirs; but the multitude are cut off with the sword, and for that reason their money is lost.
5. "Thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city," 6 etc. A caravan of asses or camels passing from place to place are delivered, as is said, "Destroying it utterly and all that is therein," etc. From thence they said, "the property of the righteous in it is lost, out of the city it is safe. But that of the wicked, whether inside or outside, is lost."
6. "And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof." 7 If it have no street, they must
make a street for it. If there be a street outside of it, they bring it inside. "And shalt burn with fire the city and all the spoil thereof," its spoil but not the spoil of heaven. From thence they say, the holy things therein are to be redeemed, and the heave-offerings suffered to decay. The second tithes and holy writings are to be concealed. "Every whit for the Lord thy God." Said R. Simon, "The Holy One, Blessed be He, said, If you execute judgment on the withdrawn city, I count it for you as though you brought a burnt-offering wholly before me." "And it shall be an heap for ever; it shall not be built again." "Thou shalt not make of it even gardens or parks." The words of R. José, the Galilean. R. Akiba said, "it shall not be builded again. It must not be built as it was before, but it may be made (into) gardens and parks." "And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand." 1 Whilst the wicked are in the world, wrath is in the world. When the wicked are destroyed from the world, wrath retires from the world.
198:2 Isaiah Ix. 21.
198:3 Lit. outside.
198:4 Exod. xv. 25.
198:5 i.e. to meditate with the intention to mutter JEHOVAH over a wound.
199:1 2 Chron. xxxiii. 13.
199:2 Gen. vi. 3.
199:3 Gen. xi. 8.
199:4 Gen. xiii. 13.
199:5 Ps. i. 5.
199:6 Numb. xiv. 37.
199:7 Numb. xiv. 35.
200:1 Ps. 1. 5.
200:2 Numb. xvi. 33.
200:3 1 Sam. ii. 6.
200:4 Deut. xxix. 28.
200:5 Deut. xiii. 13.
200:6 Deut. xiii. 15.
200:7 Deut. xiii. 16.