(Mishnah): Mesis (who is stoned) is a commoner, and Mesis is one who entices a commoner (to serve idolatry). E.g., he says 'there is an idol in the place Ploni. It eats and drinks such and such, it rewards and punishes such and such.'

For all capital transgressions in the Torah we do not hide witnesses in order to trap the transgressors, except for this;

If Reuven (tries to) entice two men, they are his witnesses. They bring him to Beis Din and they stone him;

If he entices just Shimon, Shimon should say 'I have friends who would be interested. (Tell them also!)'

If Reuven was shrewd (understands Shimon's intent) and does not speak in front of them, Shimon hides witnesses in back of a fence and says 'say what you told me [before], clearly.'

[If] Reuven repeats it, Shimon says 'how can we abandon our G-d in Heaven and serve wood and stones?!' If Reuven retracts, it is fine (he is exempt).

If Reuven says 'it is our duty. It is good for us', those standing in back of the fence bring him to Beis Din, and they stone him.

One who says [any of the following is a Mesis, and he is stoned] - 'I will serve (idolatry)', 'I will go and serve', 'let us go and serve', 'I will slaughter', 'I will go and slaughter', 'let us go and slaughter', 'I will be Maktir, 'I will go and be Maktir, 'let us go and be Maktir, 'I will be Menasech', 'I will go and be Menasech', 'let us go and be Menasech, 'I will bow', 'I will go and bow', 'let us go and bow';

Medi'ach is one who says 'let us go and serve idolatry.' (This will be explained.)

(Gemara) Question: (Why does it say that Mesis is a commoner?) If he is a Chacham, he is not [a Mesis]?!

Answer: Since he entices, he is not a Chacham. Since he is enticed, he is not a Chacham.

How do we scheme against him? We hide two witnesses for him in the inner room, and we arrange that he go in the outer room. We light a lamp over him, so that they will see him and hear his voice.

So they did to Ben Sutra in Lud. They hid for him two Chachamim and brought him to Beis Din and stoned him.

Question: (A Mishnah teaches that if someone heard a voice said that he is about to die, this suffices to permit his wife to remarry.) Do you say so here [that witnesses must also see him]?!

Answer: There is different, for he said "I [Ploni am about to die." Therefore, the witnesses need not see him.]

Question: Also here, [the Nises should prompt the Mesis to] say "I [Ploni will go serve idolatry", and then the witnesses need not see him]!

Answer: [We do not,] lest he [sense what is happening, and] be shrewd [and be silent].

Question: Let him be shrewd [and not entice any more]!

Answer: [We are concerned] lest he go [elsewhere] and entice himself and entice others with him]!

A Mesis says covertly (to an individual). Medi'ach says openly (to a Rabim). If a Mesis said openly, he becomes a Medi'ach. If a Medi'ach said covertly, he becomes a Mesis.

Note: What is the difference between a Medi'ach and a Mesis? R. Shimon says that a Medi'ach is choked, and not stoned. according to Chachamim, we can say that a Medi'ach must be warned, unlike a Mesis. (This is based on Sanhedrin 67a. It is the text of SHE'ELAS DAVID 2, Chidushim p.74b, but partially unlike his Perush.)

A Mesis says in Leshon Hedyot (he does not prophecize in the name of idolatry), and Medi'ach says in Leshon ha'Kodesh (prophecy). If a Mesis said in Leshon ha'Kodesh he becomes a Medi'ach. If a Medi'ach said in Leshon Hedyot, he becomes a Mesis.

(Mishnah): A Mechashef [is Chayav Misah] if he does an act [of Kishuf], but not if he merely does slight-of-hand.

R. Akiva says in R. Yehoshua's name, [it is possible that] two people gather gourds, and one is exempt, and one is liable. The one who does an act is liable. The one who does an illusion is exempt.

(Gemara): "Mechashefah Lo Sechayeh" refers to both a man and a woman, but the Torah taught the usual case, for most witches are women (KORBAN HA'EDAH).

(R. Lazar): A witch is stoned.

Question: What is R. Lazar's reason?

Answer: It says here "Mechashefah Lo Sechayeh", and it says there [about ascending Har Sinai] "Im Behemah Im Ish Lo Yichyeh" - just like there it is Skilah, also here.

Question: What is Rabanan's reason? (In a Beraisa, they say that he gets Hereg.)

Answer: It says here "Mechashefah Lo Sechayeh", and it says there [about fighting the Kena'anim in Eretz Yisrael] "Lo Sechayeh Kol Neshamah" - just like there we kill with the sword, also here Lo Sechayeh is death through a sword.

R. Akiva: I decide the issue from here. It is better to learn Lo Sechayeh from Lo Sechayeh, and not from Lo Yichyeh.

Question: What is R. Yehudah's reason? (It was known that he expounds differently.)

Answer: It says here "Mechashefah Lo Sechayeh", and it says there "Kol Shochev Im Behemah Mos Yumas" - just like the animal is killed through Skilah, also here it is through Skilah.

A case occurred in which R. Lazar, R. Yehoshua and R. Akiva entered to bathe in the bathhouse of Tiverya. A Min (heretic; he was also a witch) saw them, said what he said (i.e. an incantation), and they were seized (could not move);

R. Li'ezer: Yehoshua ben Chananyah, see what you will do!

When the Min was leaving, R. Yehoshua said what he said, and the gate seized the Min. Everyone who entered punched him, and everyone who left punched him.

He told them to undo what they did. They told him "free us, and we will free you!" They freed each other.

When they left, R. Yehoshua said to the Min "[you received what is proper, i.e. many punches] for your Chachmah!" He said "let us descend to the sea [and I will show you what I can do]!"

After they descended to the sea, he said what he said, and the sea split. He said "didn't Moshe your Rebbi do so to the sea? (I am a Chacham like him!)"

They said to him "do you admit to us that Moshe our Rebbi went inside it?" He said yes. They told him "go inside it!" He went inside, and R. Yehoshua decreed on the minister of the sea, and it swallowed him.

A case occurred in which R. Li'ezer, R. Yehoshua and R. Gamliel were going to Romi. They came to a place and found children making mounds of earth, and saying "these people of Eretz Yisrael do so, and say 'this is Terumah and this is Ma'aser'."

[The Rabanan] said that presumably, Yisraelim live here. They went there, and were hosted in a house. When they sat to eat, every dish brought in front of them, they would not bring it unless they first brought it to a small room. They were concerned lest they are eating food offered to idolatry.

The Rabanan: Why is it that every dish that you bring in front of us, if you do not bring in to the room, you do not bring in front of us?

The host: I have an old father. He decreed on himself not to leave the room until he will see Chachmei Yisrael.

The Rabanan: Go tell him to come here and see [the Chachamim], for they are here! He went out to them. They said to him why do you do so? He said to them "pray for my son, for he cannot father children."

R. Li'ezer: Yehoshua ben Chananyah, see what you will do!

R. Yehoshua told them to bring flax seeds. They brought to him flax seeds. He appeared to seed them on a table. It appeared as if he watered them, and they grew, and he was detaching, until he was pulling a woman by her braided hair.

He told her "undo what you did [through witchcraft to prevent him from having children]!" She said that she will not. He told her "if not, I will publicize you!" She said "I cannot undo it, for [the knot of witchcraft with which I restrained him] is in the sea!"

R. Yehoshua decreed on the minister of the sea and it spat it out. [The Rabanan] prayed for the man, and he merited to father R. Yehudah ben Beseira. They said, had we come to here only to generate this Tzadik, it would suffice!

R. Yehoshua ben Chananyah: I can take gourds and watermelons, and make them into rams and deer [through witchcraft], and they will father rams and deer.

R. Yanai: I was going in the market of Tzipori, and I saw a Min take a pebble and throw it up, and it landed and became a calf.

Question: Didn't R. Lazar say in the name of R. Yosi bar Zimra that if everyone in the world would gather, they cannot create [even] a mosquito and inject a Neshamah into it? Will we say that the Min did not take a pebble and throw it up, and it landed and became a calf?

Answer: Rather, he called to his lowly [accomplice], and he stole a calf from a herd and brought it.

R. Chinena bei R. Chanina: I was going on the banks of the sea of Tzipori, and I saw a Min take a skull pebble and throw it up, and it landed and became a calf. I went and told my father. He told me "if you ate from it, he did a real act [of witchcraft]. If not, it was an illusion."

R. Yehoshua: R. Li'ezer used to expound 300 Parshiyos in the Parshah of a witch - from all of them, I heard only two matters. Two people can gather gourds, and one is exempt, and one is liable. The one who does an act is liable. The one who does an illusion is exempt;

R. Drusa: There were 900 Parshiyos; 300 were Chayav [Misah], 300 were exempt [and permitted], and 300 were forbidden, but he is exempt.