1 A nd 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,

Now the Lord said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid, nor 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 a nd 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.'

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

3 A nd 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,

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

4 a nd 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,

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

5 a nd 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,

Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city; and it will come about, when they come out against us as at the first, that we shall flee before them.

6 a nd 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,

For they will come out after us till we have drawn them from the city, for they will say, ‘ They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ Therefore we will flee before them.

7 a nd ye rise from the ambush, and have occupied the city, and Jehovah your God hath given it into your hand;

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

8 a nd 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.'

And it will be, when you have taken the city, that you shall set the city on fire. According to the commandment of the Lord you shall do. See, I have commanded you.”

9 A nd 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.

Joshua therefore sent them out; and they went to lie in ambush, and stayed between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua lodged that night among the people.

10 A nd Joshua riseth early in the morning, and inspecteth the people, and goeth up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai;

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

11 a nd 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.

And all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near; and they came before the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now a valley lay between them and Ai.

12 A nd he taketh about five thousand men, and setteth them an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city;

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

13 a nd 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.

And when they had set the people, all the army that was on the north of the city, and its rear guard on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

14 A nd 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.

Now it happened, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hurried and rose early and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place before the plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

15 A nd Joshua and all Israel stricken before them, and flee the way of the wilderness,

And 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 in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of the city,

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

17 a nd 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.

There was not a man left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. So they left the city open and pursued Israel.

18 A nd 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,

Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the spear that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward the city.

19 a nd 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.

So those in ambush arose quickly out of their place; they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand, and they entered the city and took it, and hurried to set the city on fire.

20 A nd 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, --

And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and behold, the smoke of the city ascended to heaven. So they had no power to flee this way or that way, and the people who had fled to the wilderness turned back on the pursuers.

21 a nd 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;

Now when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

22 a nd 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;

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

23 a nd the king of Ai they caught alive, and bring him near unto Joshua.

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

24 A nd 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;

And it came to pass when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness where they pursued them, and when they all had fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

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

So it was that all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai.

26 A nd Joshua hath not brought back his hand which he stretched out with the javelin till that he hath devoted 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 o nly, the cattle and the spoil of that city have Israel spoiled for themselves, according to the word of Jehovah which He commanded 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 had commanded Joshua.

28 A nd Joshua burneth Ai, and maketh it a heap age-during -- a desolation unto this day;

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation to this day.

29 a nd 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.

And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening. And as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his corpse down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Joshua Renews the Covenant

30 T hen doth Joshua build an altar to Jehovah, God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal,

31 a s 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;

as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of whole stones over which no man has wielded an iron tool. ” And they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32 a nd 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.

And there, in the presence of the children of Israel, he wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

33 A nd 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.

Then all Israel, with their elders and officers and judges, stood on either side of the ark before the priests, the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger as well as he who was born among them. Half of them were 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 people of Israel.

34 A nd 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;

And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

35 t here 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.

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, the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them.