1 N ow the Lord said to Joshua, “ Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

¶ 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.

2 Y ou shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

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, ye shall take for yourselves. Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

3 S o 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.

¶ 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.

4 H e commanded them, saying, “See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city; do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5 T hen 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, we will flee before them.

And I and all the people that are with me, will approach the city; and when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them

6 T hey 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.

(for they will come out after us) until we have raptured them out of the city; for they will say, They flee before us as at the first. Therefore, we will flee before them.

7 A nd you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

Then ye shall rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city; for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 T hen it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.”

And when ye have taken the city, ye shall set the city on fire. Ye shall do according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you.

9 S o 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.

Then Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie in ambush and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; and Joshua lodged that night in the midst of the people.

10 N ow Joshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

And Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel, before the people against Ai.

11 T hen 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 all the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew near and came before the city and pitched camp on the north side of Ai; now there was a valley between them and Ai.

12 A nd he took about 5, 000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

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.

13 S o 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.

And the people, all the camp that was on the side of the north came near to the city, and their ambush on the west of the city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

14 I t 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.

When the king of Ai saw it, he rose up early in the morning and made haste with the men of the city to go out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

15 J oshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

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

16 A nd all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua and were raptured from the city.

17 S o not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel, and they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel.

And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel that did not go out after Israel; and because they pursued after Israel, they left the city open.

18 T hen the Lord said to Joshua, “ Stretch 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.

Then the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.

19 T he 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.

And those of 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 made haste to set the city on fire.

20 W hen the men of Ai turned back 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.

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 were fleeing into the wilderness turned back upon their pursuers.

21 W hen 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 slew the men of Ai.

Then Joshua and all Israel, seeing that those of the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned and slew the men of Ai.

22 T he others came out from the city to encounter them, so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; and they slew them until no one was left of those who survived or escaped.

And the others 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.

23 B ut they took alive the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua.

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

24 N ow 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.

And when Israel had finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were consumed, all the Israelites returned unto Ai and smote it with the edge of the sword.

25 A ll who fell that day, both men and women, were 12, 000—all the people of Ai.

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

26 F or Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the spear until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

27 I srael 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.

But the Israelites took the beasts and the spoil of the city for themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he had commanded Joshua.

28 S o Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation until this day.

And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a perpetual heap, desolate unto this day.

29 H e 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.

And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, 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 a great heap of stones upon it, that remains unto this day.

30 T hen Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,

¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

31 j ust 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, an 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.

as Moses, the slave, of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no one lifted up any iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings upon it unto the LORD and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 H e wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.

He also wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the sons of Israel.

33 A ll 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 Mount 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.

And all Israel and their elders and officers and their judges stood on one side and on the other near the ark, before the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the strangers, as well as the natural born among them, half of them over against Mount Gerizim and half of them over against Mount Ebal, as Moses, the slave of the LORD, had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34 T hen afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

After this he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35 T here was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

There was not a word of all the things that Moses commanded which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers that walked among them.