1 T he Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid. Take all the men of war with you and go up to Ai. See, I have given the king of Ai into your hand, his people, his city, and his land.

And the Lord said to Joshua, Fear not nor be dismayed. Take all the men 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.

2 D o the same to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Take only its riches and its cattle for yourselves. Hide men behind the city to fight against it.”

And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city behind it.

3 S o Joshua and all the men of war got ready to go up to Ai. Joshua chose 30, 000 strong soldiers, and sent them out during the night.

So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; chose thirty thousand mighty men of strength and sent them forth by night.

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

And he commanded them, Behold, you shall lie in wait against the city behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5 I and all the people will come near the city. When they come out to meet us as they did before, we will run from them.

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

6 T hey will come out after us until we have taken them away from the city. For they will say, ‘They are running from us as they did before.’ So we will run from them.

Till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, They are fleeing from us as before. So we will flee before them.

7 T hen you will come out of your hiding place and take the city. The Lord will give it to you.

Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 W hen you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the Lord says. See, I have told you.”

When you have taken the city, you shall set it afire; as the Lord commanded, you shall do. See, I have commanded you.

9 W hen Joshua sent them away, they went to the hiding place. They waited between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua stayed that night among the people.

So Joshua sent them forth, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

10 J oshua got up early in the morning and gathered the people. Then he went up with the leaders of Israel in front of the people to Ai.

Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the men, and went up with the elders of Israel before the warriors to Ai.

11 A ll the men of war who were with him went up and came to the front of the city. They stayed on the north side of Ai. There was a valley between him and Ai.

And all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of, with a ravine between them and Ai.

12 T hen he took about 5, 000 men and hid them between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

And he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, west of the city.

13 S o they put the men in their places. There was the army on the north side of the city, and the secret army on the west side of the city. But Joshua stayed that night in the center of the valley.

So they stationed all the army—the main encampment that was north of the city and their men in ambush behind and on the west of the city—and Joshua went that night into the midst of the ravine.

14 T he king of Ai saw this. So the men of the city were quick to get up early and go out to meet Israel in battle at the chosen place near the desert plain. But he did not know that there was an army hiding behind the city.

When the king of Ai saw it, they hastily rose early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle before the Arabah. But he did not know of the ambush against him behind the city.

15 J oshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten in front of them. And they ran away into the desert.

And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten by them, and fled toward the wilderness.

16 A ll the people in the city were called together to go after them. They went after Joshua, and were taken away from the city.

So all the people in Ai were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

17 S o not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel. They left the city open and ran after Israel.

Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. Leaving the city open, they pursued Israel.

18 T hen the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai. For I will give the city to you.” So Joshua held out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.

Then 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 in his hand toward the city.

19 T he men who were hiding got up in a hurry from their place and ran when he held out his hand. They went into the city and took it, and were quick to set it on fire.

The men in the ambush arose quickly out of their place and ran when he stretched out his hand; and they entered the city and took it, and then hastened and set it afire.

20 W hen the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke of the city going up to the sky. They had no place to run. Then the people of Israel who had been running away in the desert turned against those who went after them.

When the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to the heavens, and they had no power to flee this way or that way. Then the Israelites who fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

21 J oshua and all Israel saw that the men who had been hiding had taken the city. They saw the smoke from the city, so they turned around and killed the men of Ai.

When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city went up, they turned again and slew the men of Ai.

22 T he others came out from the city to meet them. The men of Ai were caught in the center of Israel. There were some on one side and some on the other side. They killed until no one was left alive. No one got away.

And the others came forth out of the city against them, so that they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side. And smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.

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

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

24 I srael killed all the men of Ai in the field and in the desert where they had run after them. All of them were killed with the sword until they were destroyed. Then all Israel returned to Ai and destroyed it with the sword.

When Israel had finished slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field and in the wilderness into which they pursued them, and they were all fallen by the sword until they were consumed, then all the Israelites returned to Ai and smote it with the sword.

25 A ll the men and women of Ai died that day, 12, 000 in all.

And all that fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand, including all the men of Ai.

26 J oshua did not put down his hand he used to hold out the spear until he had destroyed all the people of Ai.

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

27 I srael took only the cattle and the riches of that city for themselves, as the Lord had told Joshua.

Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as booty for themselves, according to the word of the Lord which He commanded Joshua.

28 S o Joshua burned Ai and destroyed it forever, as it is to this day.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap of ruins for ever, even a desolation to this day.

29 H e hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. When the sun went down, Joshua had them take his body down from the tree and throw it down at the gate of the city. They put many stones over it, and they are there to this day.

And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening; and at sunset, Joshua commanded and they took the body down from the tree and cast it at the entrance of the city gate and raised a great heap of stones over it that is there to this day.

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

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

31 I t was built just as the Lord’s servant Moses had told the people of Israel, as it is written in the book of the Law of Moses. It was an altar made of stones which had not been cut. No one had used an iron object on them. On the altar they gave burnt gifts in worship to the Lord. And there they gave peace gifts in worship.

As Moses the servant of the Lord commanded the Israelites, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an altar of unhewn stones, upon which no man has lifted up an iron tool; and they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 T here Joshua wrote on the stones the Law of Moses in front of the people of Israel.

And there, in the presence of the Israelites, wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses.

33 A ll Israel stood on both sides of the special box, in front of the Levite religious leaders who carried the special box of the agreement of the Lord. Strangers stood there as well as those born among the people, with their leaders and heads and men who judge between what is right or wrong. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim. The other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. They did just as the Lord’s servant Moses had told them before. They prayed for good to come to the people of Israel.

And all Israel, sojourner as well as he who was born among them, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded before that they should bless the Israelites.

34 A fter this Joshua read all the words of the Law, the good and the bad that will happen. He read all that is written in the book of the Law.

Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, all that is written in the Book of the Law.

35 T here was not a word of all that Moses had said which Joshua did not read. He read it in front of all the people of Israel, with the women and children and strangers who were living among them.

There was not a word of all that Moses commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and little ones, and the foreigners who were living among them.