And the LORD said
unto Joshua
, Fear
not, neither be thou dismayed
: take
all the people
of war
with thee, and arise
, go up
to Ai
: see
, I have given
into thy hand
the king
of Ai
, and his people
, and his city
, and his land
:
And thou shalt do to Ai
and her king
as thou didst
unto Jericho
and her king
: only the spoil
thereof, and the cattle
thereof, shall ye take for a prey
unto yourselves: lay
thee an ambush
for the city
behind
it.
So Joshua arose
, and all the people
of war
, to go up
against Ai
: and Joshua
chose out
thirty
thousand
mighty
men
of valour
, and sent them away
by night
.
And he commanded them, saying
, Behold
, ye shall lie in wait
against the city
, even behind
the city
: go
not very
far
from the city
, but be ye all ready
:
And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach
unto the city
: and it shall come to pass, when they come out
against
us, as at the first
, that we will flee
before
them,
(For they will come out after
us) till we have drawn
them from the city
; for they will say
, They flee
before
us, as at the first
: therefore we will flee
before
them.
Then ye shall rise up from the ambush
, and seize
upon the city
: for the LORD
your God
will deliver
it into your hand
.
And it shall be, when ye have taken the city
, that ye shall set
the city
on fire
: according to the commandment
of the LORD
shall ye do
. See
, I have commanded
you.
Joshua therefore sent them forth
: and they went
to lie in ambush
, and abode
between Bethel
and Ai
, on the west side
of Ai
: but Joshua
lodged
that night
among
the people
.
And Joshua rose up early
in the morning
, and numbered
the people
, and went up
, he and the elders
of Israel
, before
the people
to Ai
.
And all the people, even the people of war
that were with him, went up
, and drew nigh
, and came
before the city
, and pitched
on the north side
of Ai
: now there was a valley
between them and Ai
.
And he took about five
thousand
men
, and set
them to lie in ambush
between Bethel
and Ai
, on the west side
of the city
.
And when they had set the people
, even all the host
that was on the north
of the city
, and their liers in wait
on the west
of the city
, Joshua
went
that night
into the midst
of the valley
.
And it came to pass, when the king of Ai
saw
it , that they hasted
and rose up early
, and the men
of the city
went out
against
Israel
to battle
, he and all his people
, at a time appointed
, before
the plain
; but he wist
not that there were liers in ambush
against him behind
the city
.
And Joshua and all Israel
made as if they were beaten
before
them, and fled
by the way
of the wilderness
.
And all the people that were in Ai
were called
together to pursue
after
them: and they pursued
after
Joshua
, and were drawn away
from the city
.
And there was not a man left
in Ai
or Bethel
, that went not out
after
Israel
: and they left
the city
open
, and pursued
after Israel
.
And the LORD said
unto Joshua
, Stretch out
the spear
that is in thy hand
toward Ai
; for I will give
it into thine hand
. And Joshua
stretched out
the spear
that he had in his hand
toward the city
.
And the ambush arose
quickly
out of their place
, and they ran
as soon as he had stretched out
his hand
: and they entered
into the city
, and took
it, and hasted
and set
the city
on fire
.
And when the men of Ai
looked
behind
them, they saw
, and, behold, the smoke
of the city
ascended up
to heaven
, and they had no power
to flee
this way or that way
: and the people
that fled
to the wilderness
turned back
upon the pursuers
.
And when Joshua and all Israel
saw
that the ambush
had taken
the city
, and that the smoke
of the city
ascended
, then they turned again
, and slew
the men
of Ai
.
And the other issued out
of the city
against
them; so they were in the midst
of Israel
, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote
them, so that
they let
none of them remain
or escape
.
And the king of Ai
they took
alive
, and brought
him to Joshua
.
And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end
of slaying
all the inhabitants
of Ai
in the field
, in the wilderness
wherein they chased
them, and when they were all fallen
on the edge
of the sword
, until they were consumed
, that all the Israelites
returned
unto Ai
, and smote
it with the edge
of the sword
.
And so it was, that all that fell that day
, both of men
and women
, were twelve
thousand
, even all the men
of Ai
.
For Joshua drew
not his hand
back
, wherewith he stretched out
the spear
, until he had utterly destroyed
all the inhabitants
of Ai
.
Only the cattle and the spoil
of that city
Israel
took for a prey
unto themselves, according unto the word
of the LORD
which he commanded
Joshua
.
And Joshua burnt
Ai
, and made
it an heap
for ever
, even a desolation
unto this day
.
And the king of Ai
he hanged
on a tree
until eventide
: and as soon as the sun
was down
, Joshua
commanded
that they should take
his carcase
down
from the tree
, and cast
it at the entering
of the gate
of the city
, and raise
thereon a great
heap
of stones
, that remaineth unto this day
.
Then Joshua built
an altar
unto the LORD
God
of Israel
in mount
Ebal
,
As Moses the servant
of the LORD
commanded
the children
of Israel
, as it is written
in the book
of the law
of Moses
, an altar
of whole
stones
, over which no man hath lift up
any iron
: and they offered
thereon burnt offerings
unto the LORD
, and sacrificed
peace offerings
.
And he wrote there upon the stones
a copy
of the law
of Moses
, which he wrote
in the presence
of the children
of Israel
.
And all Israel, and their elders
, and officers
, and their judges
, stood
on this side the ark
and on that side before the priests
the Levites
, which bare
the ark
of the covenant
of the LORD
, as well the stranger
, as he that was born
among them; half
of them over
against
mount
Gerizim
, and half
of them over against
mount
Ebal
; as Moses
the servant
of the LORD
had commanded
before
, that they should bless
the people
of Israel
.
And afterward he read
all the words
of the law
, the blessings
and cursings
, according to all that is written
in the book
of the law
.
There was not a word of all that Moses
commanded
, which Joshua
read
not before all the congregation
of Israel
, with the women
, and the little ones
, and the strangers
that were conversant
among
them.