Joshua 8

¹Then the Lord said to Joshua: “You should not fear, and you should not dread. Take with you the entire multitude of fighters, and rising up, ascend to the town of Ai. Behold, I have delivered into your hand its king and people, and the city and the land.

²And you shall do to the city of Ai, and to its king, just as you did to Jericho, and to its king. Yet truly, the spoils, and all the living things, you shall plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city behind it.”

³And Joshua rose up, and the entire army of warriors with him, so that they might ascend against Ai. And he sent thirty thousand elect strong men in the night.

⁴And he instructed them, saying: “Set an ambush behind the city. You shall withdraw not far away, and let everyone be prepared.

⁵But I and the remainder of the multitude that is with me will approach from the opposite side of the city. And when they come out against us, we will flee and turn our backs, just as we did before,

⁶until, pursuing us, they are drawn away from the city. For they will think that we are fleeing as before.

⁷Then, while we are fleeing and they are pursuing, you shall rise up from the ambush, and you shall lay waste to the city. And the Lord your God will deliver it into your hands.

⁸And when you have seized it, set it on fire. And you shall do all that I have ordered.”

⁹And he sent them away, and they traveled to the place of the ambush, and they settled between Bethel and Ai, toward the western region of the city of Ai. But Joshua remained for that night in the midst of the people.

¹⁰And rising at first light, he reviewed his troops, and he went up, with the elders at the front of the army, surrounded by an auxiliary of fighters.

¹¹And when they had arrived, and had ascended from the opposite side of the city, they stood toward the northern region of the city. And there was a valley in the middle, between them and the city.

¹²Now he had chosen five thousand men, and he had positioned them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, at the western part of the same city.

¹³Yet truly, all the remainder of the army was arranged in a line to the north, so that the very end of that multitude reached to the western region of the city. Then Joshua went out that night, and he stood in the middle of the valley.

¹⁴And when the king of Ai had seen this, he hurried in the morning, and he went out with the entire army of the city. And he arranged them in a line opposite the desert, not knowing that an ambush lay hidden behind his back.

¹⁵Yet truly, Joshua, and all of Israel, withdrew from the place, pretending to be afraid, and fleeing along the way of the wilderness.

¹⁶And they pursued them, shouting together and encouraging one another. And when they had withdrawn from the city,

¹⁷and indeed not one remained in the city of Ai and of Bethel who did not pursue after Israel, (leaving the towns open after they had rushed out,)

¹⁸the Lord said to Joshua: “Lift up the shield that is in your hand, toward the city of Ai. For I will deliver it to you.”

¹⁹And when he had lifted up the shield toward the city, the ambush, which lay hidden, rose up quickly. And advancing to the city, they seized it, and set it on fire.

²⁰Now the men of the city who were pursuing Joshua, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rising up even to heaven, were no longer able to flee in one direction or another, especially since those who had pretended to flee, and who were heading toward the wilderness, had turned back very strongly against those who were pursuing them.

²¹And Joshua, and all of Israel, seeing that the city had been captured, and that the smoke of the city was ascending, returned and struck down the men of Ai.

²²Then too, those who had seized and set the city on fire, departing from the city toward their own men, began to strike the enemies in the middle. Therefore, since the adversaries were cut off from both sides, none of so great a multitude was saved.

²³Also, they apprehended the king of the city of Ai, alive, and they brought him before Joshua.

²⁴And so, after all were slain who had pursued Israel fleeing toward the wilderness, and after they fell by the sword in the same place, the sons of Israel returned and struck the city.

²⁵Now there were twelve thousand persons who had fallen on the same day, from man even to woman, the entire city of Ai.

²⁶Truly Joshua did not draw back his hand, which he had stretched out on high, keeping hold of the shield until all the inhabitants of Ai were put to death.

²⁷Then the sons of Israel divided among themselves the cattle and the plunder of the city, just as the Lord had instructed Joshua.

²⁸And he set fire to the city, and he caused it to be a perpetual tomb.

²⁹Also, he suspended the king on a gallows, until evening and the setting of the sun. And Joshua instructed, and they took down his dead body from the hanging tree. And they cast it at the very entrance of the city, gathering a great pile of stones upon it, which remains even to the present day.

³⁰Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

³¹just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed to the sons of Israel, and this was written in the book of the law of Moses: truly, an altar of uncut stones, which iron has not touched. And he offered holocausts upon it to the Lord, and he immolated victims as peace-offerings.

³²And he wrote on the stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had set in order before the sons of Israel.

³³Then all the people, and those greater by birth, and the commanders and judges were standing on both sides of the ark, in the sight of the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with both the new arrival and the native born, one half part of them beside Mount Gerizim, and one half beside Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed. And first, certainly, he blessed the people of Israel.

³⁴After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing, and all the things that were written in the book of the law.

³⁵He left nothing untouched out of those things that Moses had ordered, and he repeated everything before the entire multitude of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the new arrivals who were staying among them.

Joshua 8

¹And the Lord said to Joshua: Fear not, nor be thou dismayed: take with thee all the multitude of fighting men, arise, and go up to the town of Hai: Behold I have delivered into thy hand the king thereof, and the people, and the city, and the land.

²And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils, and all the cattle, you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush for the city behind it.

³And Joshua arose, and all the army of the fighting men with him, to go up against Hai: and he sent thirty thousand chosen valiant men in the night,

⁴And commanded them, saying: Lay an ambush behind the city: and go not very far from it: and be ye all ready.

⁵But I, and the rest of the multitude which is with me, will approach on the contrary side against the city. And when they shall come out against us, we will flee, and turn our backs, as we did before:

⁶Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will think that we flee as before.

⁷And whilst we are fleeing, and they pursuing, you shall rise out of the ambush, and shall destroy the city: and the Lord your God will deliver it into your hands.

⁸And when you shall have taken it, set it on fire, and you shall do all things so as I have commanded.

⁹And he sent them away, and they went on to the place of the ambush, and abode between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the city of Hai. But Joshua staid that night in the midst of the people,

¹⁰And rising early in the morning, he mustered his soldiers, and went up with the ancients in the front of the army, environed with the aid of the fighting men.

¹¹And when they were come, and were gone up over against the city, they stood on the north side of the city, between which and them there was a valley in the midst.

¹²And he had chosen five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Hai, on the west side of the same city:

¹³But all the rest of the army went in battle array on the north side, so that the last of that multitude reached to the west side of the city. So Joshua went that night, and stood in the midst of the valley.

¹⁴And when the king of Hai saw this, he made haste in the morning, and went out with all the army of the city, and set it in battle array, toward the desert, not knowing that there lay an ambush behind his back.

¹⁵But Joshua, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness.

¹⁶But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city,

¹⁷And not one remained in the city of Hai and of Bethel, that did not pursue after Israel, leaving the towns open as they had rushed out,

¹⁸The Lord said to Joshua: Lift up the shield that is in thy hand, towards the city of Hai, for I will deliver it to thee.

¹⁹And when he had lifted up his shield towards the city, the ambush, that lay hid, rose up immediately: and going to the city, took it, and set it on fire.

²⁰And the men of the city, that pursued after Joshua, looking back, and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly against them that pursued.

²¹So Joshua, and all Israel, seeing that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city rose up, returned, and slew the men of Hai.

²²And they also that had taken and set the city on fire, issuing out of the city to meet their own men, began to cut off the enemies who were surrounded by them. So that the enemies being cut off on both sides, not one of so great a multitude was saved.

²³And they took the king of the city of Hai alive and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴So all being slain that had pursued after Israel, in his flight to the wilderness, and falling by the sword in the same place, the children of Israel returned and laid waste the city.

²⁵And the number of them that fell that day, both of men and women, was twelve thousand persons, all of the city of Hai.

²⁶But Joshua drew not back his hand, which he had stretched out on high, holding the shield, till all the inhabitants of Hai were slain.

²⁷And the children of Israel divided among them, the cattle and the prey of the city, as the Lord had commanded Joshua.

²⁸And he burnt the city, and made it a heap forever:

²⁹And he hung the king thereof on a gibbet, until the evening and the going down of the sun. Then Joshua commanded, and they took down his carcass from the gibbet: and threw it in the very entrance of the city, heaping upon it a great heap of stones, which remaineth until this present day.

³⁰Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, in Mount Hebal,

³¹As Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the children of Israel, and it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of unhewn stones, which iron had not touched: and he offered upon it holocausts to the Lord, and immolated victims of peace offerings.

³²And he wrote upon stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had ordered before the children of Israel.

³³And all the people, and the ancients, and the princes, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark, before the priests that carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, both the stranger and he that was born among them, half of them by Mount Garizim, and half by Mount Hebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord, had commanded. And first he blessed the people of Israel.

³⁴After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing, and all things that were written in the book of the law.

³⁵He left out nothing of those things which Moses had commanded, but he repeated all before all the people of Israel, with the women and children, and strangers, that dwelt among them.