God encourageth Joshua.

1 ¶ And the LORDº saidºª unto² Joshua,º Fearºª not,² neither² be thou dismayed:ºª takeºª² all² the peopleº of warº with² thee, and arise,ºª go upºª to Ai:º see,ºª I have givenºª into thy handº² the kingº of Ai,º and his people,º and his city,º and his land:º 2 And thou shalt doºª to Aiº and her kingº as² thou didstºª unto Jerichoº and her king:º only² the spoilº thereof, and the cattleº thereof, shall ye take for a preyºª unto yourselves: layºª thee an ambushºª for the cityº behindº² it.

The stratagem whereby Ai was taken.

3 ¶ So Joshuaº arose,ºª and all² the peopleº of war,º to go upºª against Ai:º and Joshuaº chose outºª thirtyº thousandº mightyº menº of valour,º and sent them awayºª by night.º 4 And he commandedºª them, saying,ºª Behold,ºª ye² shall lie in waitºª against the city,º [even] behindº² the city:º goºª not² veryº far¹ª from² the city,º but be² ye all² ready:ºª 5 And I,² and all² the peopleº that² [are] with² me, will approachºª unto² the city:º and it shall come to pass,² when² they come outºª againstºª us, as² at the first,º that we will fleeºª beforeº them, 6 (For they will come outºª afterº us) till² we have drawnºª them from² the city;º for² they will say,ºª They fleeºª beforeº us, as² at the first:º therefore we will fleeºª beforeº them. 7 Then ye² shall rise upºª from the ambush,ºª² and seize¹ª upon²² the city:º for the LORDº your Godº will deliverºª it into your hand.º 8 And it shall be,² when ye have takenºª² the city,º [that] ye shall setºª² the cityº on fire:º according to the commandmentº of the LORDº shall ye do.ºª See,ºª I have commandedºª you.

9 ¶ Joshuaº therefore sent them forth:ºª and they went¹ª² to² lie in ambush,º and abodeºª between² Bethelº and Ai,º on the west sideº² of Ai:º but Joshuaº lodgedºª that² nightº amongº the people.º 10 And Joshuaº rose up earlyºª in the morning,º and numberedºª² the people,º and went up,ºª he² and the eldersº of Israel,º beforeº the peopleº to Ai.º 11 And all² the people,º [even the people] of warº that² [were] with² him, went up,ºª and drew nigh,ºª and cameºª before² the city,º and pitchedºª on the north sideº² of Ai:º now [there was] a valleyº between² them and Ai.º 12 And he tookºª about fiveº thousandº men,º and setºª them to lie in ambushºª between² Bethelº and Ai,º on the west sideº² of the city.º¹ª 13 And when they had setºª the people,º [even]² all² the hostº that² [was] on the northº² of the city,º and their liers in waitº on the westº² of the city,º Joshuaº went¹ª² that² nightº into the midstº of the valley.º

14 ¶ And it came to pass,² when the kingº of Aiº sawºª [it], that they hastedºª and rose up early,ºª and the men¹² of the cityº went outºª againstºª Israelº to battle,º he² and all² his people,º at a time appointed,º beforeº the plain;º but he² wistºª not² that² [there were] liers in ambushºª against him behindº² the city.º 15 And Joshuaº and all² Israelº made as if they were beatenºª beforeº them, and fledºª by the wayº of the wilderness.º 16 And all² the peopleº that² [were] in Aiºª¹ were called¹ª together² to pursueºª afterº them: and they pursuedºª afterº Joshua,º and were drawn awayºª from² the city.º 17 And there was not² a manº leftºª in Aiº or Bethel,º that² went not outºª² afterº Israel:º and they leftºª² the cityº open,ºª and pursuedºª after² Israel.º 18 And the LORDº saidºª unto² Joshua,º Stretch outºª the spearº that² [is] in thy handº toward² Ai;º for² I will giveºª it into thine hand.º And Joshuaº stretched outºª the spearº that² [he had] in his handº toward² the city.º 19 And the ambushºª aroseºª quicklyº out of their place,º² and they ranºª as soon as he had stretched outºª his hand:º and they enteredºª into the city,º and tookºª it, and hastedºª and setºª² the cityº on fire.º 20 And when the men¹² of Aiº lookedºª behindº them, they saw,ºª and, behold,² the smokeº of the cityº ascended upºª to heaven,º and they had² no² powerº to fleeºª this way² or that way:º and the peopleº that fledºª to the wildernessº turned backºª upon² the pursuers.ºª 21 And when Joshuaº and all² Israelº sawºª that² the ambushºª had takenºª² the city,º and that² the smokeº of the cityº ascended,ºª then they turned again,ºª and slewºª² the men¹² of Ai.º 22 And the otherº issued outºª of² the cityº againstºª them; so they were² in the midstº of Israel,º some² on this side,²² and some² on that side:²² and they smoteºª them, so² that¹ they let¹ª none² of them remain¹² or escape.º 23 And the kingº of Aiº they tookºª alive,º and broughtºª him to² Joshua.º 24 And it came to pass,² when Israelº had made an endºª of slayingºª² all² the inhabitantsºª of Aiº in the field,º in the wildernessº wherein² they chasedºª them, and when they were all² fallenºª on the edgeº of the sword,º until² they were consumed,ºª that all² the Israelitesº returnedºª unto Ai,º and smoteºª it with the edgeº of the sword.º 25 And [so] it was,² [that] all² that fellºª that² day,º both of menº² and women,º [were] twelveºº thousand,º [even] all² the men¹² of Ai.º 26 For Joshuaº drewºª not² his handº back,¹ª wherewith² he stretched outºª the spear,º until²² he had utterly destroyedºª² all² the inhabitantsºª of Ai.º 27 Only² the cattleº and the spoilº of that² cityº Israelº took for a preyºª unto themselves, according unto the wordº of the LORDº which² he commandedºª² Joshua.º 28 And Joshuaº burntºª² Ai,º and madeºª it an heapº for ever,º [even] a desolationº unto² this² day.º

The king thereof is hanged.

29 And the kingº of Aiº he hangedºª on² a treeº until² eventide:ºº and as soon as the sunº was down,ºª Joshuaº commandedºª that they should take¹ª his carcase¹ downºª²² from² the tree,º and castºª it at² the enteringº of the gateº of the city,º and raiseºª thereon² a greatº heapº of stones,º [that remaineth] unto² this² day.º

Joshua buildeth an altar,

30 ¶ Then² Joshuaº builtºª an altarº unto the LORDº Godº of Israelº in mountº Ebal,º 31 As² Mosesº the servantº of the LORDº commandedºª² the childrenº of Israel,º as it is writtenºª in the bookº of the lawº of Moses,º an altarº of wholeº stones,º over² which² no² man hath lift upºª [any] iron:º and they offeredºª thereon² burnt offeringsº unto the LORD,º and sacrificedºª peace offerings.º

writeth the Law on stones,

32 ¶ And he wroteºª there² upon² the stonesº² a copyº of the lawº of Moses,º which² he wroteºª in the presenceº of the childrenº of Israel.º 33 And all² Israel,º and their elders,º and officers,ºª and their judges,ºª stoodºª on this side²² the arkº and on that side²² before² the priestsº the Levites,º which bareºª the arkº of the covenantº of the LORD,º as well the stranger,º as he that was born¹ among them;² halfº of them overº againstº mountº Gerizim,º and halfº of them over² againstº mountº Ebal;º as² Mosesº the servantº of the LORDº had commandedºª before,º that they should blessºª² the peopleº of Israel.º

propoundeth blessings and cursings.

34 And afterwardº² he readºª² all² the wordsº of the law,º the blessingsº and cursings,º according to all² that is writtenºª in the bookº of the law.º 35 There was² not² a wordº of all²² that² Mosesº commanded,ºª which² Joshuaº readºª not² before² all² the congregationº of Israel,º with the women,º and the little² ones,¹ and the strangersº that were conversantºª amongº them.