Yosua 8
1 Afei, Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se, “Nsuro anaasɛ mma wo koma ntu. Fa wʼasraafo no nyinaa na kɔtow hyɛ Ai so, efisɛ mede Aihene, ne nkurɔfo, ne kuropɔn ne nʼasase ama wo.
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 Wobɛsɛe wɔn sɛnea wosɛe Yeriko ne ne hene no. Nanso, saa bere yi de, mutumi fa asade ne anantwi no. Ma wʼasraafo no nkɔtɛw kuropɔn no akyi.”
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 Na Yosua ne Israel nsraadɔm no sii mu sɛ wɔrekɔtow ahyɛ Ai so. Yosua yii asraafo mpem aduasa, somaa wɔn anadwo,
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 hyɛɛ wɔn se, “Monkɔtɛw wɔ ahintawee a ɛwɔ kuropɔn no akyi na monyɛ krado mma ɔko.
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 Sɛ yɛn asraafo no tow hyɛ Ai so a, Ai mmarima befi adi abɛko, sɛnea wɔyɛɛ kan no, na yebeguan.
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 Yɛbɛma wɔataa yɛn ara kosi sɛ wɔn nyinaa befi kuropɔn no mu. Na wɔbɛka se ‘Israelfo no reguan sɛnea wɔyɛɛ kan no.’
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 Afei mubefi mo ahintawee hɔ ntɛm so akɔfa kuropɔn no, efisɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn de bɛma mo.
you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 Monto kuropɔn no mu gya sɛnea Awurade ahyɛ no. Munim nea ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ.”
And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 Enti wofii hɔ anadwo no kɔtɛw Bet-El ne Ai atɔe fam ntam. Nanso, Yosua de, ɔkaa nnipa no mu wɔ wɔn atenae hɔ anadwo no.
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 Ade kyee anɔpahema no, Yosua nyan nʼakofo ma wɔde wɔn ani kyerɛɛ Ai a Israel ntuanofo ka wɔn ho.
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 Wɔkɔbɔɔ atenae wɔ Ai atifi fam a obon da wɔne kuropɔn no ntam.
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 Anadwo no, Yosua somaa asraafo mpem anum sɛ wɔnkɔtɛw Bet-El ne Ai ntam wɔ kuropɔn no atɔe fam.
Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 Enti ɔmaa asraafo no mu fa kɛse gyinaa kuropɔn no atifi fam a na atɛwfo no bi nso wɔ kuropɔn no atɔe fam. Yosua ankasa de, ɔtenaa obon no mu anadwo no.
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 Aihene huu sɛ Israelfo no wɔ obon no fa nohɔ no, ntɛm so, ɔne nʼakofo nyinaa sɔree anɔpahema kɔtoaa Israelfo no, tow hyɛɛ wɔn so wɔ Araba. Nanso, na onnim sɛ atɛwfo bi wɔ kuropɔn no akyi.
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 Yosua ne ne Israel nsraadɔm no guan kɔɔ sare no so yɛɛ sɛnea Aifo no adi wɔn so,
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
16 enti Aifo no frɛɛ mmarima a wɔwɔ kuropɔn no mu no nyinaa ma wɔbɛtaa Israelfo no. Ɛyɛɛ saa maa wɔn nyinaa fii kuropɔn no mu.
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 Anka obiara wɔ Ai anaa Bet-el a wankɔtaa Israelfo, na wogyaw kurow no maa ano daa hɔ.
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 Awurade ka kyerɛɛ Yosua se, “Fa wo peaw no kyerɛ Ai so, na mede kuropɔn no bɛma wo.” Enti, Yosua yɛɛ sɛnea wɔhyɛɛ no no.
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 Yosua nyamaa atɛwfo no ara pɛ, wɔsɔree pankran bɔ wuraa kuropɔn no mu. Wɔfaa kuropɔn no na wɔtoo mu gya.
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 Aifo no hwɛɛ wɔn akyi huu sɛ wusiw kumɔnn aduru soro, na wɔannya baabi ankɔ, efisɛ Israelfo no a woguan kɔɔ sare so no dan wɔn ani taa wɔn.
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 Bere a Yosua ne Israelfo a wɔaka no huu sɛ atɛwfo no afa kuropɔn no, na wusiw ayɛ kumɔnn wɔ wim no, wɔdan wɔn ho bɛtow hyɛɛ Aifo no so.
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 Israelfo a na wɔwɔ kuropɔn no mu fii akyi hyɛɛ ase kunkum atamfo no. Enti Ai mmarima no dii nsensɛnmu na wɔn nyinaa wuwui. Anka obi biara.
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 Ai hene nko ara na wɔkyeree no anikann de no brɛɛ Yosua.
But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 Bere a Israelfo nsraadɔm kunkum Ai mmarima a wopue fii kuropɔn no mu wiee no, wɔsan kɔɔ kuropɔn no mu kokunkum wɔn a wɔaka wɔ mu nyinaa.
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 Enti da no wokunkum nnipa a wɔwɔ Ai nyinaa; na wɔn ano si mpem dumien.
A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 Yosua soo ne peaw no mu saa ara kosii sɛ wɔsɛee obiara a ɔte Ai no pasaa.
Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 Anantwi ne agyapade a ɛwɔ kuropɔn no mu nko ara na wɔansɛe no; Israelfo no ankasa fae, sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ Yosua no.
Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 Enti, Yosua hyew Ai ma bɛdanee mmubui siw ne amamfo de besi nnɛ.
So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
29 Yosua sɛn Ai hene wɔ dua bi so gyaw no wɔ dua no so kosii anwummere. Owia kɔtɔe no, Israelfo no yii amu no de no kɔtoo kuropɔn no pon ano. Wɔhyɛɛ abo siw wɔ ne so a ɛda so wɔ hɔ besi nnɛ.
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 Yosua sii afɔremuka maa Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, wɔ Ebal bepɔw so.
At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,
31 Odii nkyerɛkyerɛ a Mose a ɔyɛ Awurade somfo akyerɛw wɔ Mmara Nhoma no mu a ese, “Fa abo a wontwae na wɔmfaa adwinnade nsinsenii ho si afɔremuka ma me” no so. Na wɔbɔɔ ɔhyew afɔre ne asomdwoe afɔre maa Awurade wɔ afɔremuka no so.
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 Na Yosua kyerɛw Mose Mmara no guu afɔremuka no abo no so, bere a na Israelfo no rehwɛ no no.
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 Afei, wɔkyɛɛ Israelfo nyinaa; ahɔho ne ɔmanfo, ntuanofo, adwumayɛfo ne atemmufo nyinaa mu akuw abien. Kuw baako gyinaa Gerisim bepɔw ayaase na kuw baako nso gyinaa Ebal bepɔw ayaase. Akuw abien yi dii nhwɛanim. Na Lewifo asɔfo a wɔso Awurade Apam Adaka no gyinaa wɔn mfimfini. Wɔyɛɛ eyinom nyinaa sɛnea Awurade somfo Mose nkyerɛkyerɛ a ɔnam so hyira Israelfo no te.
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 Afei, Yosua kenkan nhyira ne nnome nsɛm a Mose akyerɛw wɔ Mmara Nhoma no mu no kyerɛɛ wɔn.
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 Asɛm biara a Mose ahyɛ no, Yosua kenkan kyerɛɛ ɔman mu no a mmea, mmofra ne ahɔho a wɔne Israelfo no te no nso ka ho bi.
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.
