Chapter XI

1 _Concerning one that abhorred strange tongues_. 3 _He meeteth with a damsel_. 14 _And falleth unto her_. 15 _Concerning the writing on the board_. 24 _A certain man disturbeth his companions_. 29 _He is delivered from tribulation_. 33 _Whereby another suffereth in his stead_.

Concerning sundry happenings that befell the fighters of En _when_ they went out with the host.

2 Now there was a _certain_ man that went unto the war. And when he was arrived nigh unto the camp, he was commanded to seek a certain habitation and to sojourn there.

3 ¶ And on the morrow after he was come into that house, he beheld a damsel. And, lo, _she was_ fair as the blossom of the pomegranate and graceful as a roe that skippeth _upon_ the mountains.

4 And her neck, it was like unto a tower _that is_ of ivory, and there was red upon her lips; also, she had doves' eyes _and_ full of softness.

5 Now in his youth he had _given_ him over unto idleness, heeding not instruction and scorning all strange speech. But the time of his repentance, it was at hand, _because_ he had no words for to tell her all that which was in his heart.

6 Nevertheless, after he had gazed long _enough_ upon the beauty of her, he was moved to make him trial with his tongue. And he spake unto her despairingly in _these_ words, saying Hast thou the coat _of_ my father?

7 And because he could not _frame_ to pronounce it right, therefore did she understand him not. Nevertheless, she did smile upon him for himself, and because of _the way_ of him also.

8 And when the next day was come, he espied _the maiden_ from his window; and she was walking in the courtyard of their habitation. And he descended unto her, seeking advancement in _her_ eyes.

9 And when he had greeted her _with_ his hand, and had put his countenance in _the shape of_ his adoration, then spake he more words _after_ the manner of before. And he said unto her, Hast thou a morsel of bread? Nay, my friend, but _I have_ a little cheese.

10 Nevertheless, she understood no word of _all_ that which he did say. But because he spake from out of his _depths_, therefore did she perceive _the nature_ of his ailment.

11 Now after the passing of the fourteenth day, _he did_ come upon the damsel unattended and alone, in a place apart that was well screened. And, behold, his speech _was_ all used up; neither had she understood _the meaning_ of any of it.

12 And there remained unto him no words, _save_ only two. And because she had understood him not before, therefore spake he _them_ unto him, and he said, Jer tame.

13 And, lo, she held up her mouth on the instant, and _with_ her arms she did seize him forthwith; yea, _she was_ filled with a great understanding.

14 ¶ And because he had put _the matter_ at hazard, therefore did he fall _unto her_ on that day.

15 ¶ Now there was a certain stripling of the men of En, and he was journeying along a ditch, being nigh unto _that place_ where the host of Hu, it was encamped.

16 And it was a shallow ditch, _having_ no depth, and his path, it was beset with dangers. Wherefore he tarried not by the way.

17 And as he hasted him along, _behold_, there was a board, and it stood up against him; and there was writing _on the board_. And he stayed the order of his going for to read it.

18 Now the missiles of the enemy, they were sent _against_ that spot like the grains of a desert of sand being lifted by the wind.

19 Nevertheless, he was full of determination for _to get_ him unto the board. Wherefore he did lay him flat upon the ground; yea, even as a worm doth travel, in like _manner_ approached he unto the board.

20. And when _he was_ come thither (and by reason of his perseverance, _he did_ come thither), lo, the writing, it was made plain unto him; and he did see it, _what_ it was.

21 And the words of it, being interpreted, _did say_, Get thee hence, O fool, whilst yet thou remainest whole. For whosoever tarrieth here, verily, he _shall be_ cut off in the height of his folly.

22 And after he had seen the writing, _what_ it was, he did get him thence; even as he came, that was in the manner of a worm, he did go away from _that_ same place.

23 And the curses that fell from that man's mouth, they did _shake_ the two encampments.

24 ¶ Now there was a certain man, being a fighter of the land of En, and in the innocence of _his_ youth, he had taken unto himself a wife.

25 And she was a woman loose of the jaw, so that _there was_ no peace on earth for him. Yea, neither in the day _nor_ in the night was any peace vouchsafed unto him.

26 And when he was come amongst the host, he complained unto his companions continually _concerning_ the soreness of his lot; and the voice of his groaning was ofttimes _heard_ in the starry watches of the night.

27 And after they had borne with him for a long time _without_ any respite, they were filled with a great hatred against that woman, _that_ she should trouble them so. Yea, they abominated her utterly.

28 And they conspired together for to deliver him, perceiving that _there was_ no other means unto their own salvation.

29 ¶ Wherefore it came to pass after the next occasion when they did go _against_ the enemy, that they sent them word unto the officer that was appointed, and they said unto him,

30 In the heat of the encounter, in the forefront of the battle, _he was_ smitten unto death. Also, we did bury him underneath the earth for _to make_ assurance certain.

31 And when they told him that _he was_ dead, it rejoiced him greatly. And from that day forth he was as other men.

32 But when his wife did hear about it, she put on sackcloth and ashes, and, _during_ seven days, she did weep in the public places of the city, crying out in a loud voice, and saying, My husband, Oh, my husband.

33 ¶ And on the eighth _day_ she gat her another.