Sanhedrin

R. Eleazar opposed [two verses]: It is written, The Lord is good to all,  but it is also written, The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him!  — This may be compared to a man who has an orchard. When he irrigates it, he irrigates the whole; but when he prunes, he prunes only the best [trees]. THEREFORE EVERY SINGLE PERSON etc. And there went out the song  throughout the host:  R. Aha b. Hanina said: [It is the song referred to in the verse.] When the wicked perish, there is song;  [thus] when Ahab b. Omri perished there was 'song'. But does the Holy One, blessed be He, rejoice over the downfall of the wicked? Is it not written, [That they should praise] as they went out before the army, and say, Give thanks unto the Lord for His mercy endureth for ever;  concerning which R. Jonathan asked: Why are the words, He is good  omitted from this expression of thanks? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice in the downfall of the wicked.  For R. Samuel b. Nahman said in R. Jonathan's name: What is meant by, And one approached not the other all night?  In that hour the ministering angels wished to utter the song [of praise]  before the Holy One, blessed be He, but He rebuked them, saying: My handiwork [the Egyptians] is drowning in the sea; would ye utter song before me!  — Said R. Jose b. Hanina: He Himself does not rejoice, yet He causes others to rejoice. Scripture supports this too, for it is written, [And it shall come to pass, that as the Lord rejoiced over you to do good … so yasis will the Lord] cause rejoicing [over you by destroying you],  and not yasus [so will the Lord rejoice etc.]  This prove it. [And dogs licked his blood] and the harlots washed themselves:  R. Eleazar said: This was in clear fulfilment of two visions, one of Micaiah, the other of Elijah. In the case of Micaiah it is written, If thou returned at all in peace the Lord hath not spoken by me.  In the case of Elijah it is written, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth. [With reference to the harlots:] Raba said, they were real [pictures of] harlots. Ahab was frigid by nature [passionless], so Jezebel painted pictures of two harlots on his chariot, that he might look upon them and become heated. And a certain man drew his bow at a venture  and smote the king of Israel.  R. Eleazar said: The word means 'without intention'. Raba said: In order to fulfil  the two visions, that of Micaiah and that of Elijah. (Mnemonic: He called, merited, to Edom.) It is written, And Ahab called Obadiah who was over the household — Now Obadiah feared the Lord exceedingly.  What did he  say to him? — R. Isaac answered: He spoke thus to him: Of Jacob it is written, I have observed the signs and the Lord hath blessed me [Laban] for thy sake;  and of Joseph it is written, The Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake,  whilst my house  has not been blessed! Perhaps [it is because] you are not a God-fearing man? Thereupon a Heavenly voice issued and proclaimed, And Obadiah feared the Lord greatly, but the house of Ahab is not fit for a blessing. R. Abba said: Greater [praise] was expressed of Obadiah than Abraham, since of Abraham the word 'greatly' is not used,  while of Obadiah it is. R. Isaac said: Why did Obadiah attain  the gift of prophecy? — Because he hid a hundred prophets in caves, as it is written, For it was so when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord that Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them, fifty in a cave.  Why just fifty? — R. Eleazar said: He learnt this lesson from Jacob,  as it is written, 'Then the camp which is left shall escape.  R. Abbahu said: It was because the one cave could not hold more than fifty. 'The vision of Obadiah. Thus said the Lord God concerning Edom.  Why particularly Obadiah against Edom? — R. Isaac said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Obadiah, Who has lived with two wicked persons  and yet has not taken example by their deeds, come and prophesy against the wicked Esau,  who lived with two righteous persons  and yet did not learn from their good deeds. Ephraim Maksha'ah,  the disciple of R. Meir, said on the authority of R. Meir: Obadiah was an Edomite proselyte: and thus people say, From the very forest itself comes the [handle of the] axe [that fells it]. And he [David] smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground.  R. Johanan said on the authority of R. Simeon b. Yohai: Thus the proverb runs, From the very forest itself comes the [handle of the] axe [that fells it].  When R. Dimi came [from Palestine] he said [similarly]: The joint putrefies from within. Then he took his eldest son that should have resigned in his stead and offered him for a burnt offering upon the wall.  Rab and Samuel [differ therein:] One said: [He offered him] to God; the other, To a heathen deity. Now, on the view that it was to God, it is correct: hence it is written, And there came great wrath upon Israel.  But if it be maintained that he was offered to a heathen deity, why, And there was great wrath etc.? — Even as R. Joshua b. Levi [taught]: For R. Joshua b. Levi opposed [two verses]: It is written, Neither have ye done according to the ordinances of the nations that were round about you;  yet it is [elsewhere] written, But ye have done according to the ordinances of the nations that were round about you?  [That means:] Ye did not act as the right minded,  but as the corrupt amongst them. And they departed from him and returned to the earth.  R. Hanina b. Papa said: In that hour the wicked of Israel descended to the lowest depths [of depravity]. And the damsel was fair, until [she was] exceedingly [so].  R. Hanina b. Papa said: Yet she never attained to half of Sarah's beauty, for it is written, 'until … exceedingly', 'exceedingly' itself not being included.