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.
The Lord said to Joshua, “Don't be afraid or downhearted! Take all the fighting men with you and attack Ai, for I'm handing over to you the king of Ai, his people, his town, 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.
You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. However, this time you may keep for yourselves the plunder and the livestock. Set up an ambush behind the town.”
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 all the people got ready to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men 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 na om uh mako.
He ordered them, “You lie in ambush behind the town, not far away. All of you need to 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.
When I and the rest of the men with me approach the town, the defenders will run out to attack us just like before, and we'll run away 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'll chase after us as we draw them away from the town, because they'll say to each other, ‘They're running away from us just like before.’
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.
While we're running away from them, you will get up from your ambush positions and take the town for the Lord God will hand it over to you.
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.
Once you've captured the town, set it on fire, as the Lord has instructed. Now follow your 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.
Joshua sent them out, and they went to lie in ambush between Bethel and the west side of Ai. But that night Joshua stayed with the people in the camp.
10 Joshua khaw mincang ah thoo tih pilnam te a soep. Te phoeiah amah neh Israel a hamca rhoek tah Ai pilnam mikhmuh ah cet.
Early the next morning Joshua got up early and gathered the people and went up to attack Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel.
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.
All the fighting men who were with him approached the front of the town, and camped there on the north side, with a valley between them and Ai.
12 Te phoeiah hlang thawng nga tluk a khuen tih khopuei khotlak Bethel neh Ai laklo ah amih te rhongngol la a khueh.
He took about five thousand men and had them lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the town.
13 Pilnam te khopuei tlangpuei rhaehhmuen boeih neh khopuei tuitun ah hnukdawn la a khueh tih Joshua tah khoyin ah kol la cet.
So the army took up their positions—the main army to the north of the town, and the ambush to the west. Joshua went that night to 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.
As soon as the king of Ai saw the situation, he and all his men rushed out early in the morning to attack the Israelites where they had before, at a place overlooking the Jordan valley. He didn't know about the ambush waiting on the other side of the town.
15 Amih mikhmuh ah Joshua neh Israel pum loh kolong uh tih khosoek long la rhaelrham uh.
Joshua and the Israelites allowed themselves to be driven back, and ran away in the direction of 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.
All the men of the town were called out to chase after them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn father from the town.
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.
There wasn't a man left in Ai and Bethel who didn't go out to chase the Israelites. They left the town wide open as they pursued the Israelites.
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 told Joshua, “Hold up the spear in your hand and point it at Ai, because I'm giving it to you.” So Joshua held up the spear in his hand and pointed it at the town.
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.
As soon as they saw this signal the men lying in ambush got up and rushed into the town. They captured it, and quickly 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 looked back they saw the smoke rising up into the sky from the town. They had nowhere to run to, because the Israelites who had been running away towards the wilderness now turned on their 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.
For when Joshua and the Israelites saw that the ambush group had captured the town, and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and attacked 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 sak uh. Te dongah amih te amah taengah rhaengnaeng neh hlangyong paih mueh la a ngawn uh.
The men from the ambush also came from the town and attacked them, so they were caught on the middle, with the Israelites on both sides. The Israelites cut them down—not a single man survived or got away.
23 Tedae Ai manghai te a hing la a tuuk uh tih Joshua taengla a khuen uh.
Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and he was brought before 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 sak uh. Amih te a cing phoeiah Israel tah boeih mael uh tih Ai te cunghang ha neh a tloek uh.
When the Israelites had finished killing the men of Ai who had chased them towards the wilderness—once they had all been cut down by the sword—the whole Israelite army returned to the town and killed everyone living there.
25 Tekah khohnin ah Ai kah hlang boeih tongpa lamloh huta hil thawng hlai nit la boeih cungku uh.
Those who were killed that day numbered twelve thousand, men and women—all the inhabitants 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.
For Joshua had continued to hold up his spear until all the people of Ai had been destroyed.
27 Tedae khopuei kah rhamsa neh a kutbuem tah BOEIPA loh Joshua a uen olka vanbangla Israel loh amamih ham a poelyoe uh.
Only the livestock and plunder were taken from the town by the Israelites, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.
28 Te phoeiah Ai te Joshua loh a hoeh tih tihnin due, kumhal kah imrhong khopong la a khueh.
So Joshua burned the town of Ai, making it permanently into a heap of ruins where no one lives to this very day.
29 Ai manghai te khaw kholaeh tue due thing dongah a kuiok sak uh. 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 killed the king of Ai and hung his body on a tree until evening. When the sun went down Joshua ordered the body taken down. They threw it down in front of the entrance to the town gate and piled a heap of rocks over it which is still there today.
30 Te vaengah Joshua loh Israel Pathen BOEIPA kah hmueihtuk te Ebal tlang ah a suem.
Then Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal for 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.
He did what Moses, the servant of the Lord, had told the Israelites to do, as recorded in the book of the Law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones which no one has worked with iron tools. On the altar they made burnt offerings and friendship offerings to the Lord.
32 Te vaengah Israel ca rhoek kah mikhmuh ah a daek Moses olkhueng te rhaepnit la lungto dongah pahoi a daek.
There in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses.
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 om uh.
All the Israelites, the elders, the officers, and the judges stood in two groups facing each other with the priests, the Levites, and the Ark of the Lord's Agreement between them. (Included were the foreigners as well as the native born.) Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim, and half in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses had ordered, for the blessing of the people this first time.
34 Te phoeiah olkhueng cabu khui ah boeih a daek vanbangla yoethennah neh rhunkhuennah olkhueng ol te boeih a hoe.
Then Joshua read out the whole Law—all the blessings and curses recorded 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.
Joshua read out every word of Moses' instruction to the whole Israelite assembly, including the women, the children, and the foreigners who lived among them.
