Iosue 8
1 Dixit autem Dominus ad Josue: Ne timeas, neque formides: tolle tecum omnem multitudinem pugnatorum, et consurgens ascende in oppidum Hai. Ecce tradidi in manu tua regem ejus et populum, urbemque et terram.
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 Faciesque urbi Hai, et regi ejus, sicut fecisti Jericho, et regi illius: prædam vero, et omnia animantia diripietis vobis: pone insidias urbi post eam.
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 Surrexitque Josue, et omnis exercitus bellatorum cum eo, ut ascenderent in Hai: et electa triginta millia virorum fortium misit nocte,
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 præcepitque eis, dicens: Ponite insidias post civitatem, nec longius recedatis: et eritis omnes parati.
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 Ego autem, et reliqua multitudo, quæ mecum est, accedemus ex adverso contra urbem. Cumque exierint contra nos, sicut ante fecimus, fugiemus, et terga vertemus,
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 donec persequentes ab urbe longius protrahantur: putabunt enim nos fugere sicut prius.
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 Nobis ergo fugientibus, et illis persequentibus, consurgetis de insidiis, et vastabitis civitatem: tradetque eam Dominus Deus vester in manus vestras.
you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 Cumque ceperitis, succendite eam, et sic omnia facietis, ut jussi.
And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 Dimisitque eos, et perrexerunt ad locum insidiarum, sederuntque inter Bethel et Hai, ad occidentalem plagam urbis Hai: Josue autem nocte illa in medio mansit populi,
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 surgensque diluculo recensuit socios, et ascendit cum senioribus in fronte exercitus, vallatus auxilio pugnatorum.
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 Cumque venissent et ascendissent ex adverso civitatis, steterunt ad septentrionalem urbis plagam, inter quam et eos erat vallis media.
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 Quinque autem millia viros elegerat, et posuerat in insidiis inter Bethel et Hai ex occidentali parte ejusdem civitatis:
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 omnis vero reliquus exercitus ad aquilonem aciem dirigebat, ita ut novissimi illius multitudinis occidentalem plagam urbis attingerent. Abiit ergo Josue nocte illa, et stetit in vallis medio.
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 Quod cum vidisset rex Hai, festinavit mane, et egressus est cum omni exercitu civitatis, direxitque aciem contra desertum, ignorans quod post tergum laterent insidiæ.
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 Josue vero et omnis Israël cesserunt loco, simulantes metum, et fugientes per solitudinis viam.
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
16 At illi vociferantes pariter, et se mutuo cohortantes, persecuti sunt eos. Cumque recessissent a civitate,
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 et ne unus quidem in urbe Hai et Bethel remansisset qui non persequeretur Israël (sicut eruperant aperta oppida relinquentes),
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 dixit Dominus ad Josue: Leva clypeum, qui in manu tua est, contra urbem Hai, quoniam tibi tradam eam.
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 Cumque elevasset clypeum ex adverso civitatis, insidiæ, quæ latebant, surrexerunt confestim: et pergentes ad civitatem, ceperunt, et succenderunt eam.
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 Viri autem civitatis, qui persequebantur Josue, respicientes et videntes fumum urbis ad cælum usque conscendere, non potuerunt ultra huc illucque diffugere: præsertim cum hi qui simulaverant fugam, et tendebant ad solitudinem, contra persequentes fortissime restitissent.
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 Vidensque Josue et omnis Israël quod capta esset civitas, et fumus urbis ascenderet, reversus percussit viros Hai.
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 Siquidem et illi qui ceperant et succenderant civitatem, egressi ex urbe contra suos, medios hostium ferire cœperunt. Cum ergo ex utraque parte adversarii cæderentur, ita ut nullus de tanta multitudine salvaretur,
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 regem quoque urbis Hai apprehenderunt viventem, et obtulerunt Josue.
But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 Igitur omnibus interfectis, qui Israëlem ad deserta tendentem fuerant persecuti, et in eodem loco gladio corruentibus, reversi filii Israël percusserunt civitatem.
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 Erant autem qui in eodem die conciderant a viro usque ad mulierem, duodecim millia hominum, omnes urbis Hai.
A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 Josue vero non contraxit manum, quam in sublime porrexerat, tenens clypeum donec interficerentur omnes habitatores Hai.
Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 Jumenta autem et prædam civitatis diviserunt sibi filii Israël, sicut præceperat Dominus Josue.
Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 Qui succendit urbem, et fecit eam tumulum sempiternum:
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
29 regem quoque ejus suspendit in patibulo usque ad vesperam et solis occasum. Præcepitque Josue, et deposuerunt cadaver ejus de cruce: projeceruntque in ipso introitu civitatis, congesto super eum magno acervo lapidum, qui permanet usque in præsentem diem.
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 Tunc ædificavit Josue altare Domino Deo Israël in monte Hebal,
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 sicut præceperat Moyses famulus Domini filiis Israël, et scriptum est in volumine legis Moysi: altare vero de lapidibus impolitis, quos ferrum non tetigit: et obtulit super eo holocausta Domino, immolavitque pacificas victimas.
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 Et scripsit super lapides Deuteronomium legis Moysi, quod ille digesserat coram filiis Israël.
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 Omnis autem populus, et majores natu, ducesque ac judices, stabant ex utraque parte arcæ, in conspectu sacerdotum qui portabant arcam fœderis Domini, ut advena, ita et indigena. Media pars eorum juxta montem Garizim, et media juxta montem Hebal, sicut præceperat Moyses famulus Domini. Et primum quidem benedixit populo Israël.
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 Post hæc legit omnia verba benedictionis et maledictionis, et cuncta quæ scripta erant in legis volumine.
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 Nihil ex his quæ Moyses jusserat, reliquit intactum, sed universa replicavit coram omni multitudine Israël, mulieribus ac parvulis, et advenis qui inter eos morabantur.
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.
