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.
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 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.”
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 Na Yosua ne Israel nsraadɔm no sii mu sɛ wɔrekɔtow ahyɛ Ai so. Yosua yii asraafo mpem aduasa, somaa wɔn anadwo,
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 hyɛɛ wɔn se, “Monkɔtɛw wɔ ahintawee a ɛwɔ kuropɔn no akyi na monyɛ krado mma ɔko.
He ordered them, “You lie in ambush behind the town, not far away. All of you need to be ready.
5 Sɛ yɛn asraafo no tow hyɛ Ai so a, Ai mmarima befi adi abɛko, sɛnea wɔyɛɛ kan no, na yebeguan.
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 Yɛbɛma wɔataa yɛn ara kosi sɛ wɔn nyinaa befi kuropɔn no mu. Na wɔbɛka se ‘Israelfo no reguan sɛnea wɔyɛɛ kan no.’
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 Afei mubefi mo ahintawee hɔ ntɛm so akɔfa kuropɔn no, efisɛ Awurade, mo Nyankopɔn de bɛma mo.
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 Monto kuropɔn no mu gya sɛnea Awurade ahyɛ no. Munim nea ɛsɛ sɛ moyɛ.”
Once you've captured the town, set it on fire, as the Lord has instructed. Now follow your 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.
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 Ade kyee anɔpahema no, Yosua nyan nʼakofo ma wɔde wɔn ani kyerɛɛ Ai a Israel ntuanofo ka wɔn ho.
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 Wɔkɔbɔɔ atenae wɔ Ai atifi fam a obon da wɔne kuropɔn no ntam.
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 Anadwo no, Yosua somaa asraafo mpem anum sɛ wɔnkɔtɛw Bet-El ne Ai ntam wɔ kuropɔn no atɔe fam.
He took about five thousand men and had them lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the town.
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 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 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.
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 Yosua ne ne Israel nsraadɔm no guan kɔɔ sare no so yɛɛ sɛnea Aifo no adi wɔn so,
Joshua and the Israelites allowed themselves to be driven back, and ran away in the direction of 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.
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 Anka obiara wɔ Ai anaa Bet-el a wankɔtaa Israelfo, na wogyaw kurow no maa ano daa hɔ.
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 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 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 Yosua nyamaa atɛwfo no ara pɛ, wɔsɔree pankran bɔ wuraa kuropɔn no mu. Wɔfaa kuropɔn no na wɔtoo mu gya.
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 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 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 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.
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 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.
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 Ai hene nko ara na wɔkyeree no anikann de no brɛɛ Yosua.
Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and he was brought before 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 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 Enti da no wokunkum nnipa a wɔwɔ Ai nyinaa; na wɔn ano si mpem dumien.
Those who were killed that day numbered twelve thousand, men and women—all the inhabitants of Ai.
26 Yosua soo ne peaw no mu saa ara kosii sɛ wɔsɛee obiara a ɔte Ai no pasaa.
For Joshua had continued to hold up his spear until all the people of Ai had been destroyed.
27 Anantwi ne agyapade a ɛwɔ kuropɔn no mu nko ara na wɔansɛe no; Israelfo no ankasa fae, sɛnea Awurade hyɛɛ Yosua no.
Only the livestock and plunder were taken from the town by the Israelites, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.
28 Enti, Yosua hyew Ai ma bɛdanee mmubui siw ne amamfo de besi nnɛ.
So Joshua burned the town of Ai, making it permanently into a heap of ruins where no one lives to this very 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 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 Yosua sii afɔremuka maa Awurade, Israel Nyankopɔn, wɔ Ebal bepɔw so.
Then Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal for 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.
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 Na Yosua kyerɛw Mose Mmara no guu afɔremuka no abo no so, bere a na Israelfo no rehwɛ no no.
There in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the Law of Moses.
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 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 Afei, Yosua kenkan nhyira ne nnome nsɛm a Mose akyerɛw wɔ Mmara Nhoma no mu no kyerɛɛ wɔn.
Then Joshua read out the whole Law—all the blessings and curses recorded 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.
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.
