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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
He ordered them, “You lie in ambush behind the town, not far away. All of you need to be ready.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
Once you've captured the town, set it on fire, as the Lord has instructed. Now follow your orders.”
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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
He took about five thousand men and had them lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the town.
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.
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 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.
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 And they were struck Joshua and all Israel before them and they fled [the] direction of the wilderness.
Joshua and the Israelites allowed themselves to be driven back, and ran away in the direction 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 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.
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 And [the] king of Ai they captured alive and they brought near him to Joshua.
Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and he was brought 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.
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 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.
Those who were killed that day numbered twelve thousand, men and women—all the inhabitants 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.
For Joshua had continued to hold up his spear until all the people of Ai had been destroyed.
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.
Only the livestock and plunder were taken from the town by the Israelites, 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.
So Joshua burned the town of Ai, making it permanently into a heap of ruins where no one lives to this very day.
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.
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 Then he built Joshua an altar to Yahweh [the] God of Israel on [the] mountain of Ebal.
Then Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal for the Lord, the God of Israel.
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.
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 And he wrote there on the stones copy of [the] law of Moses which he had written before [the] people of Israel.
There in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses.
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].
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 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.
Then Joshua read out the whole Law—all the blessings and curses recorded 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.
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.
