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 Jehovah saith unto Joshua, `Fear not, nor be affrighted, take with thee all the people of war, and rise, 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 hast done to Ai and to her king as thou hast done to Jericho and to her king; only, its spoil and its cattle ye spoil for yourselves; set for thee an ambush for the city at its rear.'

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.

And Joshua riseth, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai, and Joshua chooseth thirty thousand men, mighty ones of valour, and sendeth 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 commandeth them, saying, `See, ye are liers in wait against the city, at the rear of the city, ye go not very far off from the city, and all of you have been prepared,

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 who with me draw near unto the city, and it hath come to pass when they come out to meet us as at the first, and we have fled 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.

and they have come out after us till we have drawn them out of the city, for they say, They are fleeing before us as at the first, and we have fled 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.

and ye rise from the ambush, and have occupied the city, and Jehovah your God hath given 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 it hath been, when ye capture the city, ye burn the city with fire, according to the word of Jehovah ye do, 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.

And Joshua sendeth them away, and they go unto the ambush, and abide between Bethel and Ai, on the west of Ai; and Joshua lodgeth on 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 riseth early in the morning, and inspecteth the people, and goeth up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to 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 who with him have gone up, and draw nigh and come in over-against the city, and encamp on the north of Ai; and the valley between him 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 taketh about five thousand men, and setteth them an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west 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 they set the people, all the camp which on the north of the city, and its rear on the west of the city, and Joshua goeth on 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.

And it cometh to pass, when the king of Ai seeth, that hasten, and rise early, and go out do the men of the city to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people, at the appointed season, at the front of the plain, and he hath not known that an ambush against him, on the rear of the city.

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

And Joshua and all Israel stricken before them, and flee 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 who in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of 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 hath not been left a man in Ai and Bethel who hath not gone out after Israel, and they leave the city open, and pursue after Israel.

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.

And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, `Stretch out with the javelin which in thy hand towards Ai, for into thy hand I give it;' and Joshua stretcheth out with the javelin which 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 the ambush hath risen haste, out of its place, and they run at the stretching out of his hand, and go into the city, and capture it, and hasten, and burn the city with 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 the men of Ai look behind them, and see, and lo, the smoke of the city hath gone up unto the heavens, and there hath not been in them power to flee hither and thither -- and the people who are fleeing to the wilderness have turned against the pursuer, --

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.

and Joshua and all Israel have seen that the ambush hath captured the city, and that the smoke of the city hath gone up, and they turn back and smite 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 these have come out from the city to meet them, and they are in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that, and they smite them till he hath not left to them a remnant and escaped one;

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

and the king of Ai they caught alive, and bring him near unto 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 it cometh to pass, at Israel's finishing to slay all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they pursued them (and they fall all of them by the mouth of the sword till their consumption), that all Israel turn back to Ai, and smite it by the mouth of the sword;

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

and all who fall during the day, of men and of women, are twelve thousand -- all 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.

And Joshua hath not brought back his hand which he stretched out with the javelin till that he hath devoted 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.

only, the cattle and the spoil of that city have Israel spoiled for themselves, according to the word of Jehovah which He commanded Joshua.

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

And Joshua burneth Ai, and maketh it a heap age-during -- a desolation 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 the king of Ai he hath hanged on the tree till even-time, and at the going in of the sun hath Joshua commanded, and they take down his carcase from the tree, and cast it unto the opening of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones till this day.

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

Then doth Joshua build an altar to Jehovah, 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, servant of Jehovah, commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses -- an altar of whole stones, over which he hath not waved iron -- and they cause to go up upon it burnt-offerings to Jehovah, and sacrifice 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.

and he writeth there on the stones the copy of the law of Moses, which he hath 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 its elders, and authorities, and its judges, are standing on this side and on that of the ark, over-against the priests, the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the native, half of them over-against mount Gerizim, and the half of them over-against mount Ebal, as Moses servant of Jehovah commanded to bless the people of Israel at the first.

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.

And afterwards he hath proclaimed all the words of the law, the blessing and the reviling, 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 hath not been a thing of all that Moses commanded which Joshua hath not proclaimed before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the infants, and the sojourner who is going in their midst.