Joshua 8
1 Joshua te BOEIPA loh, “Rhih boeh, rhihyawp boeh. Pilnam kah caemtloek boeih ke namah taengla lo lamtah Ai te paan hang laeh. Ai kah manghai neh a pilnam khaw, a khopuei neh a khohmuen khaw nang kut ah kan tloeng he so lah.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.
2 Te dongah Ai neh a manghai te Jerikho neh a manghai na saii bangla saii bal. A kutbuem neh a rhamsa te namamih ham poelyoe uh. Khopuei kah a hael ah namah kah rhongngol te khueh,” a ti nah.
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”
3 Te dongah Joshua neh caemtloek pilnam boeih loh Ai te tloek ham thoo uh. Te vaengah Joshua loh tatthai hlangrhalh hlang thawng sawmthum te a coelh tih khoyin ah a tueih.
So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night
4 Te phoeiah amih te a uen tih, “Khopuei hael ah khopuei aka rhongngol thil rhoek te nangmih loh so uh. Khopuei neh bahoeng lakhla uh boel lamtah hueltue la boeih om uh.
with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.
5 Kamah khaw kamah taengkah pilnam boeih long khaw khopuei ke m'paan uh pawn ni. Lamhma kah bangla mamih aka mah ham ha moe uh atah amih mikhmuh ah n'rhaelrham uh ni.
Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.
6 Te vaengah khopuei lamkah mamih n'cing duela mamih hnuk han hloem uh saeh lamtah amih mikhmuh kah n'rhaelrham uh vaengah lamhma kah vanbangla, 'Mamih mikhmuh lamkah loh rhaelrham uh coeng, 'ti uh saeh.
They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them,
7 Te vaengah nangmih loh rhongngol kung lamkah thoo uh lamtah khopuei te huul uh. BOEIPA na Pathen loh na kut dongah han tloeng bitni.
you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 Ana om saeh, khopuei te na loh uh vaengah khopuei te hmai neh hlup uh. BOEIPA kah olka bangla saii uh, so lah, nangmih te kang uen coeng,” a ti nah.
And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 Te dongah Joshua kah a tueih rhoek te rhong la cet uh tih Ai khotlak kah Ai neh Bethel laklo ah ngol uh. Tedae tekah hlaem ah Joshua tah pilnam lakli ah rhaeh van.
So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
10 Joshua khaw mincang ah thoo tih pilnam te a soep. Te phoeiah mah neh Israel a hamca rhoek tah Ai pilnam mikhmuh ah cet.
Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai.
11 Pilnam caemtloek boeih loh a taengah cet uh tih thoeih uh. Khopuei hmai a pha uh vaengah Ai tlangpuei kolrhawk laklo, laklo neh Ai laklo ah rhaeh uh.
Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.
12 Te phoeiah hlang thawng nga tluk a khuen tih khopuei khotlak Bethel neh Ai laklo ah amih te rhongngol la a khueh.
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 Pilnam te khopuei tlangpuei rhaehhmuen boeih neh khopuei tuitun ah hnukdawn la tluep a khueh Joshua loh khoyin ah kol la cet.
So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.
14 Tedae Ai manghai loh a hmuh vaengah khopuei tongpa rhoek te baang thoo tih Israel mah ham caem la cet uh. A pilnam pum loh Arabah hmai kah tingtunnah ah om uh dae khopuei kah a hael ah a rhongngol thil te ming pawh.
When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.
15 Amih mikhmuh ah Joshua neh Israel pum loh kolong uh tih khosoek long la rhaelrham uh.
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
16 Te dongah amih hloem ham Ai khopuei kah pilnam pum te a hueh tih Joshua hnuk a hloem uh dongah khopuei lamloh bang cing uh.
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 Israel hnuk aka hloem mueh hlang te Ai neh Bethel ah om pawh. Khopuei te a ah oem la a hnoo uh tih Israel te a hloem uh.
Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.
18 BOEIPA loh Joshua taengah, “Na kut dongkah soe neh Ai ke nuen lah, na kut dongah kan tloeng bitni,” a ti nah. Te dongah Joshua loh khopuei ke a kut dongkah soe neh a nuen.
Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,
19 Te dongah rhongngol loh amah hmuen lamkah koe thoo tih a yong uh vaengah a kut te a phuel pah. Te vaengah khopuei la kun uh tih a buem uh. Khopuei te khaw hmai neh kuelh a hlup uh.
and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.
20 Ai kah hlang rhoek loh a hnuk la mael uh tih a hmuh uh vaengah khopuei kah hmaikhu loh vaan la tarha luei hang coeng. Tedae heben hebang la rhaelrham ham khaw a hmuen om voel pawt tih khosoek la aka rhaelrham pilnam long khaw a khuplet la han hloem coeng.
When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.
21 Rhongngol loh khopuei a buem tih khopuei kah hmaikhu a luei te Joshua neh Israel pum loh a hmuh vaengah Ai kah hlang rhoek te kuplet a tloek uh.
When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.
22 Amih mah ham khopuei lamkah aka coe rhoek te khaw he ben he bang la Israel loh a laklung ah a om sakuh. Te dongah amih te amah taengah rhaengnaeng neh hlangyong paih mueh la a ngawn uh.
Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.
23 Tedae Ai manghai te a hing la a tuuk uh tih Joshua taengla a khuen uh.
But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 Ai kah khosa boeih te Israel loh a ngawn tih a khah sak phoeiah te khosoek lohma kah te khaw a hloem uh tih cunghang ha neh boeih a cungku sakuh. Amih te a cing phoeiah Israel tah boeih mael uh tih Ai te cunghang ha neh a tloek uh.
When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.
25 Tekah khohnin ah Ai kah hlang boeih tongpa lamloh huta hil thawng hlai nit la boeih cungku uh.
A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 Ai kah khosa rhoek te boeih a thup hlan khuiah Joshua loh a kut a yueh mueh la soe neh a nuen.
Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 Tedae khopuei kah rhamsa neh a kutbuem tah BOEIPA loh Joshua a uen olka vanbangla Israel loh amamih ham a poelyoe uh.
Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 Te phoeiah Ai te Joshua loh a hoeh tih tihnin due, kumhal kah imrhong khopong la a khueh.
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
29 Ai manghai te khaw kholaeh tue due thing dongah a kuiok sakuh. Khomik a tlak vaengah tah Joshua loh a uen vanbangla thing dongkah a rhok te a hlak uh tih khopuei vongka kah thohka ah a voeih uh. Anih sokah lungto, lungkuk khaw tihnin due lungkuk la muep ngang.
He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.
30 Te vaengah Joshua loh Israel Pathen BOEIPA kah hmueihtuk te Ebal tlang ah a suem.
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 BOEIPA kah sal Moses loh Israel ca rhoek a uen tih Moses kah olkhueng cabu dongah a daek vanbangla, hmueihtuk lung khaw a hmabuet la om tih thi hnonah pawh. Tekah soah BOEIPA ham hmueihhlutnah khaw a nawn uh tih rhoepnah hmueih khaw a nawn uh.
just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses: “an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.
32 Te vaengah Israel ca rhoek kah mikhmuh ah a daek Moses olkhueng te rhaepnit la lungto dongah pahoi a daek.
And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.
33 Te vaengah Israel pum neh a hamca rhoek khaw, rhoiboei rhoek neh laitloek rhoek khaw BOEIPA kah paipi thingkawng aka kawt Levi khosoih rhoek hmaikah thingkawng khatben khatbang ah pai uh. Lamhma ah Israel pilnam yoethen paek ham BOEIPA kah sal Moses a uen vanbangla Yinlai neh tolrhum mupoe loh Gerizim tlang hmai ah hlangvang, Ebal tlang hmai ah hlangvang omuh.
All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.
34 Te phoeiah olkhueng cabu khui ah boeih a daek vanbangla yoethennah neh rhunkhuennah olkhueng ol te boeih a hoe.
Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.
35 Moses kah a uen olka dongah aka om pawt boeih te tah Joshua loh Israel hlangping pum neh huta camoe taengah khaw, amih lakli ah aka pongpa yinlai taengah khaw hoe van pawh.
There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.
