Megillah 24A

ובנביא שלשה. היו שלשתן שלש פרשיות ⁠— קורין אחד אחד.

And with regard to the Prophets, one may read to the translator 3 verses at a time. With respect to the Torah, an incorrect translation might lead to an error in practice, but this concern does not apply to the Prophets. If the 3 verses constitute 3 separate paragraphs, that is to say, if each verse is a paragraph in itself, one must read them to the translator one by one.

מדלגין בנביא ואין מדלגין בתורה. ועד כמה הוא מדלג? עד כדי שלא יפסוק המתורגמן.

One may skip from one place to another while reading the Prophets, but one may not skip from one place to another while reading the Torah. How far may he skip? As far as he can, provided that the translator will not conclude his translation while the reader is still rolling the scroll to the new location. The reader may not cause the congregation to wait for him after the translator has finished, as that would be disrespectful to the congregation.

גמ׳ הני שלשה פסוקין כנגד מי? אמר רב אסי: כנגד תורה נביאים וכתובים.

Talmud: The Talmud asks: Corresponding to what were these 3 verses, i.e., the minimal Torah reading, instituted? Rav Asi said: They correspond to the Torah, Prophets, and Writings.

ולא יקרא למתורגמן יותר מפסוק אחד, ובנביא ⁠— שלשה פסוקים, ואם היו שלשתן שלש פרשיות ⁠— קורא אחד אחד. כגון: ״כי כה אמר ה׳ חנם נמכרתם״. ״כי כה אמר ה׳ אלהים מצרים ירד עמי בראשונה״, ״ועתה מה לי פה נאם ה׳״.

We learned in the Mishnah: And when it is being translated, one should not read to the translator more than one verse at a time. And with regard to the Prophets, he may read to the translator 3 verses at a time. If the 3 verses constitute 3 separate paragraphs, he must read them to the translator separately, For example: the verses: “For thus says YHWH, You were sold for naught” (Isaiah 52:3); “For thus says YHWH God, at first My people went down to Egypt” (Isaiah 52:4); “Now therefore what have I here, says YHWH” (Isaiah 52:5). These are 3 adjacent verses, each one constituting an independent paragraph.