Joshua 8
1 And he said Yahweh to Joshua may not you fear and may not you be dismayed take with you all [the] people of war and arise go up Ai see - I have given in hand your [the] king of Ai and people his and city his and land his.
Then 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.
2 And you will do to Ai and to king its just as you did to Jericho and to king its only booty its and livestock its you will plunder for yourselves set for yourself an ambush for the city behind it.
And 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.”
3 And he arose Joshua and all [the] people of war to go up Ai and he chose Joshua thirty thousand man [the] mighty [men] of strength and he sent out them night.
And 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.
4 And he commanded them saying see you [are] lying in wait for the city behind the city may not you go far away from the city very and you will be all of you prepared.
And he instructed them, saying: “Set an ambush behind the city. You shall withdraw not far away, and let everyone be prepared.
5 And I and all the people which [is] with me we will draw near to the city and it will be that they will come out to meet us just as at the first [time] and we will flee before them.
But 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,
6 And they will come out after us until have drawn out we them from the city for they will say [they are] fleeing before us just as at the first [time] and we will flee before them.
until, pursuing us, they are drawn away from the city. For they will think that we are fleeing as before.
7 And you you will arise from the ambush and you will take possession of the city and he will give it Yahweh God your in hand your.
Then, 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.
8 And it will be when have captured you the city you will set on fire the city with fire according to [the] word of Yahweh you will do see I have commanded you.
And when you have seized it, set it on fire. And you shall do all that I have ordered.”
9 And he sent out them Joshua and they went to the ambush and they remained between Beth-el and between Ai from [the] west of Ai and he stayed Joshua in the night that in among the people.
And 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.
10 And he rose early Joshua in the morning and he mustered the people and he went up he and [the] elders of Israel before the people Ai.
And 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.
11 And all the people of war which [was] with him they went up and they approached and they came before the city and they encamped from [the] north of Ai and the valley ([was] between it *Q(k)*) and between Ai.
And 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.
12 And he took about five thousand man and he set them an ambush between Beth-el and between Ai from [the] west of the city.
Now 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.
13 And they set the people all the camp which [was] from [the] north of the city and rearguard its from [the] west of the city and he went Joshua in the night that in [the] middle of the valley.
Yet 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.
14 And it was when saw [the] king of Ai and they hurried and they rose early and they went out [the] men of the city to meet Israel for battle he and all people his to the appointed place before the Arabah and he not he knew that an ambush for him [was] behind the city.
And 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.
15 And they were struck Joshua and all Israel before them and they fled [the] direction of the wilderness.
Yet truly, Joshua, and all of Israel, withdrew from the place, pretending to be afraid, and fleeing along the way of the wilderness.
16 And they were called together all the people which ([was] in Ai *Q(K)*) to pursue after them and they pursued after Joshua and they were drawn out from the city.
And they pursued them, shouting together and encouraging one another. And when they had withdrawn from the city,
17 And not he remained anyone in Ai and Beth-el who not they went out after Israel and they left the city open and they pursued after Israel.
and 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, )
18 And he said Yahweh to Joshua stretch out with the javelin which [is] in hand your to Ai for in hand your I will give it and he stretched out Joshua with the javelin which [was] in hand his to the city.
the 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.”
19 And the ambush it arose quickly from place its and they ran when stretched out hand his and they went the city and they captured it and they hurried and they set on fire the city with fire.
And 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.
20 And they turned [the] men of Ai behind them and they saw and there! it went up [the] smoke of the city the heavens towards and not it was in them hands to flee hither and hither and the people which was fleeing the wilderness it turned back against the pursuer.
Now 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.
21 And Joshua and all Israel they saw that it had captured the ambush the city and that it went up [the] smoke of the city and they turned back and they attacked [the] men of Ai.
And 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.
22 And these [men] they came out from the city to meet them and they were to Israel in the middle these from this and these from this and they struck down them until not he had left to him a survivor and a fugitive.
Then 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.
23 And [the] king of Ai they captured alive and they brought near him to Joshua.
Also, they apprehended the king of the city of Ai, alive, and they brought him before Joshua.
24 And it was when had finished Israel to kill all [the] inhabitants of Ai in the open country in the wilderness which they had pursued them in it and they had fallen all of them to [the] mouth of [the] sword until were finished they and they returned all Israel Ai and they attacked it to [the] mouth of [the] sword.
And 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.
25 And it was all those [who] fell on the day that from man and unto woman two [plus] ten thousand all [the] people of Ai.
Now there were twelve thousand persons who had fallen on the same day, from man even to woman, the entire city of Ai.
26 And Joshua not he drew back hand his which he had stretched out with the javelin until that he had totally destroyed all [the] inhabitants of Ai.
Truly 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.
27 Only the livestock and [the] booty of the city that they plundered for themselves Israel according to [the] word of Yahweh which he had commanded Joshua.
Then the sons of Israel divided among themselves the cattle and the plunder of the city, just as the Lord had instructed Joshua.
28 And he burned Joshua Ai and he made it a mound of perpetuity a desolation until the day this.
And he set fire to the city, and he caused it to be a perpetual tomb.
29 And [the] king of Ai he hanged on the tree until [the] time of the evening and just as went the sun he commanded Joshua and they took down corpse his from the tree and they threw it to [the] entrance of [the] gate of the city and they set up over him a heap of stones great until the day this.
Also, 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.
30 Then he built Joshua an altar to Yahweh [the] God of Israel on [the] mountain of Ebal.
Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
31 Just as he had commanded Moses [the] servant of Yahweh [the] people of Israel according to [what] is written in [the] book of [the] law of Moses an altar of stones complete which not anyone has wielded on them iron and they offered up on it burnt offerings to Yahweh and they sacrificed peace offerings.
just 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.
32 And he wrote there on the stones copy of [the] law of Moses which he had written before [the] people of Israel.
And he wrote on the stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had set in order before the sons of Israel.
33 And all Israel and elders its and officials - and judges its [were] standing from this - and from this - of the ark before the priests the Levites [the] bearers of - [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh as the sojourner as the native half of it to [the] front of [the] mountain of Gerizim and half of it to [the] front of [the] mountain of Ebal just as he had commanded Moses [the] servant of Yahweh to bless the people Israel at the former [time].
Then 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.
34 And after thus he read aloud all [the] words of the law the blessing and the curse according to every [thing] written in [the] book of the law.
After 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.
35 Not it was anything from all that he had commanded Moses which not he read aloud Joshua before all [the] assembly of Israel and the women and the little one[s] and the sojourner[s] who went in midst their.
He 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.
