Joshua_Chapter 8

The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid, nor be discouraged.”. Get up and lead all the soldiers up to Ai city. I have handed over the king of Ai city, his people, his city, and his land into your hands.

Do the same to Ai and its king as you do to Jericho and its king. You may take the plunder and livestock that you have taken from the city as your own plunder. You need to set up an ambush behind the city.

So Joshua and all the soldiers got up and went up to Ai city. Joshua selected thirty thousand mighty warriors and sent them away by night,

Command them, ‘Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from the city, and prepare yourselves individually.’.

I and all the people I lead will head towards the city. When the people in the city first came out to attack us, we ran away in front of them,

They will come out to pursue us until we lure them away from the city. For they will say, These people are like the first time they have fled before us. So we have to run away in front of them,

Get up from the ambush and seize the city. For the Lord your God will deliver the city into your hands.

After you have taken the city, set it on fire and do as the Lord has said. This is what I ordered you to do.

Joshua sent them away, and they went up to the ambush and stayed between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed among the people that night.

Joshua got up early in the morning and gathered the people together. He and the elders of Israel went up to Ai in front of the people.

All the people, including the soldiers he led, went up, went straight forward, and arrived at the front of the city, camping on the north side of Ai. There is a valley between Joshua and Ai.

He selected about five thousand people and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai,

So they placed the people, the entire army in the north of the city and the ambush in the west. That night Joshua entered the valley.

When the king of Ai saw this situation, he and all the people of the city quickly got up early in the morning and went out at the scheduled time to fight against the Israelites in front of Arabah. But the king was unaware that there were ambushes behind the city.

Joshua and all Israel pretended defeat before them and fled towards the road leading to the wilderness.

All the people in the city were gathered and chased after them. When the people of Ai chased after him, they were lured away from the city.

There was no one in Ai and Bethel who did not come out to pursue the Israelites. They left the open gates and went to pursue the Israelites.

The Lord commanded Joshua, saying, Stretch out the spear in your hand towards Ai, for I will give the city into your hand. Joshua extended the short spear in his hand to the city.

As soon as he reached out his hand, the ambush soldiers quickly got up from the ambush, took the city, ran into it, and set it on fire.

The people of Ai turned around and saw that the smoke in the city was rising to the sky, leaving them powerless to flee to the left and right. The people who fled into the wilderness turned around and attacked those who were chasing them.

Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and smoke was flying in the city. They turned around and killed the people of Ai.

The ambush also went out of the city to confront the people of Ai, and they were trapped among the Israelites, both before and after. So the Israelites killed them, leaving no one behind and no one escaping,

Captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

The Israelites killed all the residents of Ai they pursued in the fields and wilderness. The people of Ai fell by the sword until they were completely destroyed. So all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed the people in the city with the sword.

On that day, a total of 12000 people, including men and women, were killed, which is all the people in Ai city.

Joshua did not retract the short spear from his hand until he completely destroyed all the residents of Ai.

Only the livestock and goods in the city were taken as plunder by the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Joshua.

Joshua burned Ai and made it a high pile and a wasteland forever, to this day.

And he hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered the body to be taken down from the tree and thrown at the entrance of the city. A large pile of stones was piled up on the body, which remains to this day.

At that time, Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

It was built of whole stones that had not been touched with iron, as the servant of the Lord Moses commanded the Israelites, as written in the Book of Moses. Everyone is offering burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord on this altar.

Joshua transcribed the law written by Moses on a stone there in front of the Israelites.

All the Israelites, whether they are locals or sojourners, along with the elders, officials, and judges, stood on either side of the ark, in front of the priests and Levites who carried the ark of the Lord, half facing Mount Kirizim and half facing Mount Ebal, blessing the Israelites, as Moses the servant of the Lord had previously commanded.

Subsequently, Joshua read out all the blessings and curses in the law, according to everything written in the book of the law.

All the words that Moses commanded Joshua to read before all the congregation of Israel, women, children, and the strangers among them.