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 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 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 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 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.

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 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 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 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 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 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.

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

and ye rise from the ambush, and have occupied the city, and Jehovah your God hath given 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.”

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 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 T hen he took about 5, 000 men and hid them 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 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.

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 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.

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 in front of them. And they ran away into the desert.

And Joshua and all Israel stricken before them, and flee 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 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. They left the city open and ran after 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, “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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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.

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 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 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 the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

and the king of Ai they caught alive, and bring him near unto 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.

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

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

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 riches of that city for themselves, as the Lord had told 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 destroyed it forever, as it is to 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. 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 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, at Mount Ebal.

Then doth Joshua build an altar to Jehovah, 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.

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

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 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 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.