Joshua 8

The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid and do not lose heart. Take the entire fighting force with you, and move out to attack Ai. See — I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

KJV 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.

Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king — except that you may keep the plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

KJV 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.

Joshua and the entire fighting force set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand of the best warriors and sent them out at night.

KJV 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.

He gave them these orders: "You are to lie in ambush behind the city. Do not go too far from it — all of you stay ready.

KJV 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:

I and all the troops with me will advance toward the city. When they come out against us as they did before, we will retreat before them.

KJV 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,

They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, because they will think, 'They are fleeing from us just like last time.' So we will flee from them.

KJV (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 you will rise from the ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will hand it over to you.

KJV Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do this according to the word of the LORD. See — I have given you your orders."

KJV 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 sent them out, and they went to the ambush position and took up their place between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai. Joshua spent that night among the people.

KJV 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.

Joshua rose early in the morning, mustered the troops, and marched at the head of the army with the elders of Israel toward Ai.

KJV 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.

The entire fighting force with him advanced, approached, and arrived opposite the city. They camped north of Ai, with a valley between them and the city.

KJV 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.

He selected roughly five thousand soldiers and stationed them as an ambush force between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

KJV 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.

So the people positioned the entire camp north of the city, with its rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into the middle of the valley.

KJV 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.

When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he and all his men hurried out early to engage Israel in battle at the designated place facing the Arabah. He did not know there was an ambush set against him behind the city.

KJV 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.

Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them and fled toward the wilderness.

KJV And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

Every man in Ai was called out to pursue them. As they chased Joshua, they were drawn away from the city.

KJV 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.

Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel. They left the city wide open and pursued Israel.

KJV 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.

The LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." So Joshua held out the javelin in his hand toward the city.

KJV 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.

The ambush force rose quickly from its position and rushed forward the moment he stretched out his hand. They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.

KJV 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.

When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke of the city rising to the sky, and they had no strength to flee in any direction — for the force that had been fleeing toward the wilderness now turned on the pursuers.

KJV 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.

When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush force had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned and struck down the men of Ai.

KJV 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.

The ambush force came out of the city to meet them, so the men of Ai were caught in the middle — Israelites on both sides. They struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.

KJV 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.

The king of Ai they captured alive and brought him to Joshua.

KJV And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open field and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and every last one had fallen by the sword, all of Israel returned to Ai and put it to the sword.

KJV 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.

The total who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand — all the people of Ai.

KJV And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.

Joshua did not lower the hand holding the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.

KJV 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 livestock and the plunder of the city did Israel take as spoil for themselves, according to the word of the LORD that he had commanded Joshua.

KJV 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.

Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent ruin — a desolation to this day.

KJV And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.

He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take his body down from the tree and throw it at the entrance of the city gate. They raised a great pile of stones over it that remains to this day.

KJV 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.

Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

KJV Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites — as it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings.

KJV 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 unhewn stones, upon which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

There, on the stones, he inscribed a copy of the law of Moses, which Moses had written, in the presence of the Israelites.

KJV 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.

All Israel — their elders, officers, and judges — stood on both sides of the ark, facing the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD. Resident foreigners and native-born alike were there, half facing Mount Gerizim and half facing Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had earlier commanded for the blessing of the people of Israel.

KJV 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.

After that, he read aloud all the words of the law — the blessings and the curses — exactly as written in the book of the law.

KJV 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 single word of everything Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read aloud before the entire assembly of Israel — including the women, the children, and the foreigners living among them.

KJV 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.