Iosue 8
1 dixit autem Dominus ad Iosue ne timeas neque formides tolle tecum omnem multitudinem pugnatorum et consurgens ascende in oppidum Ahi ecce tradidi in manu tua regem eius 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 Ahi et regi eius sicut fecisti Hiericho et regi illius praedam 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 Iosue et omnis exercitus bellatorum cum eo ut ascenderent in Ahi et electa triginta milia 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 praecepitque 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 quae 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 fugere nos 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 sequentibus 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 sic omnia facietis ut iussi
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 insidiarum locum sederuntque inter Bethel et Ahi ad occidentalem plagam urbis Ahi Iosue 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 vallis media erat
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 milia autem viros elegerat et posuerat in insidiis inter Bethaven et Ahi ex occidentali parte eiusdem 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 multitudinis occidentalem plagam urbis adtingerent abiit ergo Iosue 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 Ahi festinavit mane et egressus est cum omni exercitu civitatis direxitque aciem contra desertum ignorans quod post tergum laterent insidiae
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 Iosue vero et omnis Israhel cesserunt loco simulantes metum et fugientes per viam solitudinis
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 Ahi et Bethel remansisset qui non persequeretur Israhel 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 Iosue leva clypeum qui in manu tua est contra urbem Ahi 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 insidiae quae 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 Iosue respicientes et videntes fumum urbis ad caelum usque conscendere non potuerunt ultra huc illucque diffugere praesertim cum hii 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 Iosue et omnis Israhel quod capta esset civitas et fumus urbis ascenderet reversus percussit viros Ahi
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 coeperunt cum ergo ex utraque parte adversarii caederentur 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 Ahi adprehendere viventem et obtulerunt Iosue
But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 igitur omnibus interfectis qui Israhelem ad deserta tendentem fuerant persecuti et in eodem loco gladio corruentibus reversi filii Israhel 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 eo die conciderant a viro usque ad mulierem duodecim milia hominum omnes urbis Ahi
A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 Iosue vero non contraxit manum quam in sublime porrexerat tenens clypeum donec interficerentur omnes habitatores Ahi
Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 iumenta autem et praedam civitatis diviserunt sibi filii Israhel sicut praeceperat Dominus Iosue
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 eius suspendit in patibulo usque ad vesperum et solis occasum praecepitque et deposuerunt cadaver eius de cruce proieceruntque in ipso introitu civitatis congesto super eum magno acervo lapidum qui permanet usque in praesentem 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 aedificavit Iosue altare Domino Deo Israhel in monte Hebal
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini filiis Israhel et scriptum est in volumine legis Mosi altare de lapidibus inpolitis 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 Mosi quod ille digesserat coram filiis Israhel
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 maiores natu ducesque ac iudices stabant ex utraque parte arcae in conspectu sacerdotum qui portabant arcam foederis Domini ut advena ita et indigena media eorum pars iuxta montem Garizim et media iuxta montem Hebal sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini et primum quidem benedixit populo Israhel
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 haec legit omnia verba benedictionis et maledictionis et cuncta quae 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 quae Moses iusserat reliquit intactum sed universa replicavit coram omni multitudine Israhel 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.
