Now the LORD said
to Joshua
, " aDo not fear
or be dismayed
. Take
all
the people
of war
with you and arise
, go
up to Ai
; see
, bI have given
into your hand
the king
of Ai
, his people
, his city
, and his land
.
"You shall do to Ai
and its king
just
as you did
to Jericho
and its king
; you shall atake
only
its spoil
and its cattle
as plunder
for yourselves. 1Set
an ambush
for the city
behind
it."
So Joshua rose
with all
the people
of war
to go
up to Ai
; and Joshua
chose
30,000
men
, valiant
warriors
, and sent
them out at night
.
He commanded them, saying
, "See
, you are agoing to ambush
the city
from behind
1it. Do not go
very
far
from the city
, but all
of you be ready
.
"Then I and all the people
who
are with me will approach
the city
. And when
they come
out to meet
us as at the first
, awe will flee
before
them.
"They will come out after
us until
we have drawn
them away
from the city
, for they will say
, `They are fleeing
before
us as at the first
.' So we will flee
before
them.
"And you shall rise from your ambush
and take
possession
of the city
, for the LORD
your God
will deliver
it into your hand
.
"Then it will be when you have seized the city
, that you shall set
the city
on fire
. You shall do
it aaccording to the word
of the LORD
. See
, I have commanded
you."
So Joshua sent
them away
, and they went
to the place of ambush
and remained
between
Bethel
and Ai
, on the west
side
of Ai
; but Joshua
spent
that night
among
the people
.
Now Joshua arose
early
in the morning
and mustered
the people
, and he went
up with the elders
of Israel
before
the people
to Ai
.
Then all the people
of war
who
were with him went
up and drew
near
and arrived
in front
of the city
, and camped
on the north
side
of Ai
. Now there was a valley
between
him and Ai
.
And he took about 5,000
men
and set
them in ambush
between
aBethel
and Ai
, on the west
side
of the 1city
.
So they stationed the people
, all
the army
that was on the north
side
of the city
, and its rear
guard
on the west
side
of the city
, and Joshua
spent
that night
in the midst
of the valley
.
It came about when the king
of Ai
saw
it, that the men
of the city
hurried
and rose
up early
and went
out to meet
Israel
in battle
, he and all
his people
at the appointed
place
before
the desert
plain
. But he did not know
that there was an ambush
against him behind
the city
.
Joshua and all
Israel
pretended
to be beaten
before
them, and fled
aby the way
of the wilderness
.
And all the people
who
were in the city
were called
together
to pursue
them, and they pursued
Joshua
and awere drawn
away
from the city
.
So not a man was left
in Ai
or Bethel
who
had not gone
out after
Israel
, and they left
the city
1unguarded
and pursued
Israel
.
Then the LORD said
to Joshua
, " aStretch
out the javelin
that is in your hand
toward
Ai
, for I will give
it into your hand
." So Joshua
stretched
out the javelin
that was in his hand
toward
the city
.
The men in ambush rose
quickly
from their place
, and when he had stretched
out his hand
, they ran
and entered
the city
and captured
it, and they quickly
set
the city
on fire
.
When the men of Ai
turned
1back
and looked
, behold
, the smoke
of the city
ascended
to the sky
, and they had
no
place
to flee
this
way
or that, for the people
who had been fleeing
to the wilderness
turned
against
the pursuers
.
When Joshua and all
Israel
saw
that the men in ambush
had captured
the city
and that the smoke
of the city
ascended
, they turned
back
and 1slew
the men
of Ai
.
1The others came
out from the city
to encounter
them, so that they were trapped in the midst
of Israel
, 2some
on this
side
and some
on that side
; and they 3slew
them until
ano
one was left
4of those who
survived
or escaped
.
But they took alive
the king
of Ai
and brought
him to Joshua
.
Now when Israel had finished
killing
all
the inhabitants
of Ai
in the field
in the wilderness
where
they pursued
them, and all
of them were fallen
by the edge
of the sword
until
they were destroyed
, then all
Israel
returned
to Ai
and struck
it with the edge
of the sword
.
aAll who fell
that day
, both
men
and women
, were 12,000
--all
the 1people
of Ai
.
For Joshua adid not withdraw
his hand
with which
he stretched
out the javelin
until
he had 1utterly
destroyed
all
the inhabitants
of Ai
.
aIsrael took
only
the cattle
and the spoil
of that city
as plunder
for themselves, according to the word
of the LORD
which
He had commanded
Joshua
.
So Joshua burned
Ai
and made
it aa heap
forever
, a desolation
until
this
day
.
aHe hanged the king
of Ai
on a tree
until
evening
; and at sunset
Joshua
gave
command
and they took
his body
down
from the tree
and threw
it at the entrance
of the city
gate
, and raised
over
it a great
heap
of stones
that stands to this
day
.
Then Joshua
built
an altar
to the LORD
, the God
of Israel
, in aMount
Ebal
,
just as Moses
the servant
of the LORD
had commanded
the sons
of Israel
, as it is written
in the book
of the law
of Moses
, aan altar
of uncut
stones
on which
no
man had wielded
an iron
tool; and they offered
burnt
offerings
on it to the LORD
, and sacrificed
peace
offerings
.
He awrote there
on the stones
a copy
of the law
of Moses
, which
1he had written
, in the presence
of the sons
of Israel
.
aAll Israel
with their elders
and officers
and their judges
were standing
on both
sides
of the ark
before
the Levitical
priests
who carried
the ark
of the covenant
of the LORD
, the stranger
as well as the native
. Half
of them stood in front
of bMount
Gerizim
and half
of them in front
of Mount
Ebal
, just
as Moses
the servant
of the LORD
had given
command
at first
to bless
the people
of Israel
.
Then afterward he read
all
the words
of the law
, the blessing
and the curse
, according to all
that is written
in athe book
of the law
.
There was not a word of all
that Moses
had commanded
which
Joshua
did not read
before
all
the assembly
of Israel
awith the women
and the little
ones
and the strangers
who were 1living
among
them.