1
And the LORD[H3068]said[H559] unto Joshua[H3091], Fear[H3372] not, neither be thou dismayed[H2865]: take[H3947] all the people[H5971] of war[H4421] with thee, and arise[H6965], go up[H5927] to Ai[H5857]: see[H7200], I have given[H5414] into thy hand[H3027] the king[H4428] of Ai[H5857], and his people[H5971], and his city[H5892], and his land[H776]:
2
And thou shalt do[H6213] to Ai[H5857] and her king[H4428] as thou didst[H6213] unto Jericho[H3405] and her king[H4428]: only the spoil[H7998] thereof, and the cattle[H929] thereof, shall ye take for a prey[H962] unto yourselves: lay[H7760] thee an ambush[H693] for the city[H5892]behind[H310] it.
3
So Joshua[H3091]arose[H6965], and all the people[H5971] of war[H4421], to go up[H5927] against Ai[H5857]: and Joshua[H3091] chose out[H977]thirty[H7970]thousand[H505]mighty[H1368]men[H376] of valour[H2428], and sent them away[H7971] by night[H3915].
4
And he commanded[H6680] them, saying[H559], Behold[H7200], ye shall lie in wait[H693] against the city[H5892], even behind[H310] the city[H5892]: go[H7368] not very[H3966]far[H7368] from the city[H5892], but be ye all ready[H3559]:
5
And I, and all the people[H5971] that are with me, will approach[H7126] unto the city[H5892]: and it shall come to pass, when they come out[H3318]against[H7125] us, as at the first[H7223], that we will flee[H5127]before[H6440] them,
6
(For they will come out[H3318]after[H310] us) till we have drawn[H5423] them from the city[H5892]; for they will say[H559], They flee[H5127]before[H6440] us, as at the first[H7223]: therefore we will flee[H5127]before[H6440] them.
7
Then ye shall rise up[H6965] from the ambush[H693], and seize[H3423] upon the city[H5892]: for the LORD[H3068] your God[H430] will deliver[H5414] it into your hand[H3027].
8
And it shall be, when ye have taken[H8610] the city[H5892], that ye shall set[H3341] the city[H5892] on fire[H784]: according to the commandment[H1697] of the LORD[H3068] shall ye do[H6213]. See[H7200], I have commanded[H6680] you.
9Joshua[H3091] therefore sent them forth[H7971]: and they went[H3212] to lie in ambush[H3993], and abode[H3427] between Bethel[H1008] and Ai[H5857], on the west side[H3220] of Ai[H5857]: but Joshua[H3091]lodged[H3885] that night[H3915]among[H8432] the people[H5971].
10
And Joshua[H3091] rose up[H5927]early[H7925] in the morning[H1242], and numbered[H6485] the people[H5971], and went up[H5927], he and the elders[H2205] of Israel[H3478], before[H6440] the people[H5971] to Ai[H5857].
11
And all the people[H5971], even the people[H5971] of war[H4421] that were with him, went up[H5927], and drew nigh[H5066], and came[H935] before the city[H5892], and pitched[H2583] on the north side[H6828] of Ai[H5857]: now there was a valley[H1516] between them and Ai[H5857].
12
And he took[H3947] about five[H2568]thousand[H505]men[H376], and set[H7760] them to lie in ambush[H693] between Bethel[H1008] and Ai[H5857], on the west side[H3220] of the city[H5857].
13
And when they had set[H7760] the people[H5971], even all the host[H4264] that was on the north[H6828] of the city[H5892], and their liers in wait[H6119] on the west[H3220] of the city[H5892], Joshua[H3091]went[H3212] that night[H3915] into the midst[H8432] of the valley[H6010].
14
And it came to pass, when the king[H4428] of Ai[H5857]saw[H7200] it, that they hasted[H4116] and rose up early[H7925], and the men[H582] of the city[H5892] went out[H3318]against[H7125]Israel[H3478] to battle[H4421], he and all his people[H5971], at a time appointed[H4150], before[H6440] the plain[H6160]; but he wist[H3045] not that there were liers in ambush[H693]against[H7125] him behind[H310] the city[H5892].
15
And Joshua[H3091] and all Israel[H3478] made as if they were beaten[H5060]before[H6440] them, and fled[H5127] by the way[H1870] of the wilderness[H4057].
16
And all the people[H5971] that were in Ai[H5857] were called[H2199] together to pursue[H7291]after[H310] them: and they pursued[H7291]after[H310]Joshua[H3091], and were drawn away[H5423] from the city[H5892].
17
And there was not a man[H376]left[H7604] in Ai[H5857] or Bethel[H1008], that went not out[H3318]after[H310]Israel[H3478]: and they left[H5800] the city[H5892]open[H6605], and pursued[H7291]after[H310]Israel[H3478].
18
And the LORD[H3068]said[H559] unto Joshua[H3091], Stretch out[H5186] the spear[H3591] that is in thy hand[H3027] toward Ai[H5857]; for I will give[H5414] it into thine hand[H3027]. And Joshua[H3091] stretched out[H5186] the spear[H3591] that he had in his hand[H3027] toward the city[H5892].
19
And the ambush[H693]arose[H6965]quickly[H4120]out[H5186] of their place[H4725], and they ran[H7323] as soon as he had stretched out[H5186] his hand[H3027]: and they entered[H935] into the city[H5892], and took[H3920] it, and hasted[H4116] and set[H3341] the city[H5892] on fire[H784].
20
And when the men[H582] of Ai[H5857]looked[H6437]behind[H310] them, they saw[H7200], and, behold, the smoke[H6227] of the city[H5892] ascended up[H5927] to heaven[H8064], and they had no power[H3027] to flee[H5127] this way[H2008] or that way[H2008]: and the people[H5971] that fled[H5127] to the wilderness[H4057] turned back[H2015] upon the pursuers[H7291].
21
And when Joshua[H3091] and all Israel[H3478]saw[H7200] that the ambush[H693] had taken[H3920] the city[H5892], and that the smoke[H6227] of the city[H5892]ascended[H5927], then they turned again[H7725], and slew[H5221] the men[H582] of Ai[H5857].
22
And the other[H428] issued out[H3318] of the city[H5892]against[H7125] them; so they were in the midst[H8432] of Israel[H3478], some on this side, and some on that[H5704] side: and they smote[H5221] them, so that[H5704] they let[H7604] none of them remain[H8300] or escape[H6412].
23
And the king[H4428] of Ai[H5857] they took[H8610]alive[H2416], and brought[H7126] him to Joshua[H3091].
24
And it came to pass, when Israel[H3478] had made an end[H3615] of slaying[H2026] all the inhabitants[H3427] of Ai[H5857] in the field[H7704], in the wilderness[H4057] wherein they chased[H7291] them, and when they were all fallen[H5307] on the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719], until they were consumed[H8552], that all the Israelites[H3478]returned[H7725] unto Ai[H5857], and smote[H5221] it with the edge[H6310] of the sword[H2719].
25
And so it was, that all that fell[H5307] that day[H3117], both of men[H376] and women[H802], were twelve[H8147]thousand[H505], even all the men[H582] of Ai[H5857].
26
For Joshua[H3091]drew[H7725] not his hand[H3027]back[H7725], wherewith he stretched out[H5186] the spear[H3591], until he had utterly destroyed[H2763] all the inhabitants[H3427] of Ai[H5857].
27
Only the cattle[H929] and the spoil[H7998] of that city[H5892]Israel[H3478] took for a prey[H962] unto themselves, according unto the word[H1697] of the LORD[H3068] which he commanded[H6680]Joshua[H3091].
28
And Joshua[H3091]burnt[H8313]Ai[H5857], and made[H7760] it an heap[H8510] for ever[H5769], even a desolation[H8077] unto this day[H3117].
29
And the king[H4428] of Ai[H5857] he hanged[H8518] on a tree[H6086] until eventide[H6256]: and as soon as the sun[H8121] was down[H935], Joshua[H3091]commanded[H6680] that they should take[H3381] his carcase[H5038]down[H3381] from the tree[H6086], and cast[H7993] it at the entering[H6607] of the gate[H8179] of the city[H5892], and raise[H6965] thereon a great[H1419]heap[H1530] of stones[H68], that remaineth unto this day[H3117].
30
Then Joshua[H3091]built[H1129] an altar[H4196] unto the LORD[H3068]God[H430] of Israel[H3478] in mount[H2022]Ebal[H5858],
31
As Moses[H4872] the servant[H5650] of the LORD[H3068]commanded[H6680] the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478], as it is written[H3789] in the book[H5612] of the law[H8451] of Moses[H4872], an altar[H4196] of whole[H8003]stones[H68], over which no man hath lift up[H5130] any iron[H1270]: and they offered[H5927] thereon burnt offerings[H5930] unto the LORD[H3068], and sacrificed[H2076] peace offerings[H8002].
32
And he wrote[H3789] there upon the stones[H68] a copy[H4932] of the law[H8451] of Moses[H4872], which he wrote[H3789] in the presence[H6440] of the children[H1121] of Israel[H3478].
33
And all Israel[H3478], and their elders[H2205], and officers[H7860], and their judges[H8199], stood[H5975] on this side the ark[H727] and on that side before[H7223] the priests[H3548] the Levites[H3881], which bare[H5375] the ark[H727] of the covenant[H1285] of the LORD[H3068], as well the stranger[H1616], as he that was born[H249] among them; half[H2677] of them over[H413]against[H4136]mount[H2022]Gerizim[H1630], and half[H2677] of them over[H413]against[H4136]mount[H2022]Ebal[H5858]; as Moses[H4872] the servant[H5650] of the LORD[H3068] had commanded[H6680]before[H7223], that they should bless[H1288] the people[H5971] of Israel[H3478].
34
And afterward[H310] he read[H7121] all the words[H1697] of the law[H8451], the blessings[H1293] and cursings[H7045], according to all that is written[H3789] in the book[H5612] of the law[H8451].
35
There was not a word[H1697] of all that Moses[H4872]commanded[H6680], which Joshua[H3091]read[H7121] not before all the congregation[H6951] of Israel[H3478], with the women[H802], and the little ones[H2945], and the strangers[H1616] that were conversant[H1980]among[H7130] them.