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.

Now 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.

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.”

You 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.”

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 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.

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.

He 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.

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.

Then 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.

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.

They 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.

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

And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of 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.”

Then 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.”

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 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.

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.

Now Joshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people 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.

Then 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.

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 5, 000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side 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 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.

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.

It 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.

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

Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of 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.

And 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.

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.

So 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.

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 that was 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 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.

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 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.

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 men in ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back 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.

The 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.

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

But they took alive the king of Ai 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.

Now 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.

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

All who fell that day, both men and women, were 12, 000—all the people 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 did not withdraw 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.

Israel 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.

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 forever, a desolation until 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.

He 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.

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, in 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.

just 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.

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

He wrote there on 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 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.

All 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.

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.

Then 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.

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 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.