The Conquest of Ai 1 ULT And Yahweh said to Joshua,“Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take with you all of the people of war and arise, go up to Ai. See, I have given into your hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And you shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king, except you may plunder its spoil and its livestock for yourselves. Set for yourselves an ambush against the city from behind it.” BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Joshua and all of the people of war arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30, 000 men, warriors of valor, and sent them at night. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And he commanded them, saying,“See, you will be lying in ambush against the city from behind the city. You shall not be very far from the city. And all of you shall be prepared. BSB BSB: 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 ULT As I and all of the people who{ are} with me, we will go near to the city. And it will happen, when they come out to meet us just as at the first, that we will flee to their faces. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And they will come out after us until we have drawn them from the city. For they will say,‘They are fleeing to our faces, just as at the first.’ And we will flee to their faces. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And you shall rise from the ambush and possess the city. And Yahweh your God will give it into your hand. BSB BSB: you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8 ULT And it will happen that when you capture the city, you shall burn the city with fire. You shall do according to the word of Yahweh. See, I have commanded you.” BSB BSB: And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”
9 ULT And Joshua sent them, and they went to the ambush place, and they stayed between Bethel and between Ai, from the west of Ai. And Joshua lodged during that night in the midst of the people. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Joshua got up early in the morning and mustered the people. And he and the elders of Israel went up to the face of the people to Ai. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And all of the people of war who{ were} with him went up and approached and came before the city. And they camped from north of Ai, and the valley was between them and between Ai. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And he had taken about 5, 000 men, and he had set them{ in} ambush between Bethel and between Ai, from the west of the city. BSB BSB: Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13 ULT So the people set all of the camp that{ was} from the north of the city and its heel from the west of the city. And Joshua went during that night into the midst of the valley. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And it happened, as soon as the king of Ai saw, that the men of the city hurried and got up early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people, at an appointed place to the face of the Arabah. Now he did not know that an ambush{ was} against him from behind the city. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Joshua and all of Israel were struck to the face of them, and they fled{ by} the way of the wilderness. BSB BSB: Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
16 ULT And all of the people who{ were} in the city were summoned to pursue after them, and they pursued after Joshua, and they were drawn away from the city. BSB BSB: Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17 ULT And a man was not left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel. And they left the city opened, and they pursued after Israel. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And Yahweh said to Joshua,“Stretch out with the curved sword that is in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out with the curved sword that was in his hand toward the city. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And the ambush rose quickly from its place, and they ran when he stretched out his hand. And they entered the city and captured it and hurried and burned the city with fire. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And the men of Ai turned behind them and looked, and behold, the smoke of the city went up to the heavens! And it was not in their hands to flee here or there, for the people having fled{ to} the wilderness turned themselves toward the pursuers. BSB BSB: 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 turned against their pursuers.
21 ULT For Joshua and all of Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city went up, and they turned and struck the men of Ai. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And these came out from the city to meet them, so they were in the midst of Israel, these from here and these from there. And they struck them until he left to him no survivor or fugitive. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And they seized the king of Ai alive, and they brought him to Joshua. BSB BSB: But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24 ULT And it happened, when Israel had made an end of slaying all of the dwellers of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they pursued them, and all of them had fallen to the mouth of the sword unto their ceasing, that all of Israel returned to Ai and struck it to the mouth of the sword. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And it happened that all of the ones falling on that day, from man and unto woman, were 12, 000, all of the men of Ai. BSB BSB: A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.
26 ULT And Joshua did not turn back his hand that he had stretched out with the curved sword, until when he had devoted all of the dwellers of Ai. BSB BSB: Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.
27 ULT However, Israel plundered for themselves the livestock and the spoil of that city, according to the word of Yahweh, which he had commanded Joshua. BSB BSB: Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.
28 ULT And Joshua burned Ai, and he made it a mound forever, a desolation to this day. BSB BSB: So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.
29 ULT And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until the time of the evening. And as the sun was going, Joshua commanded, and they brought down his corpse from the tree, and they threw it at the opening of the gate of the city, and they raised over it a great pile of stones, to this day. BSB BSB: 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.
Joshua Renews the Covenant (Deuteronomy 27:1–10)
32 ULT And there on the stones he wrote a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote to the face of the sons of Israel. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And all of Israel and its elders and officers and its judges{ were} standing from here and from there at the Box, in front of the priests, the Levites, the carriers of the Box of the Covenant of Yahweh, as the sojourner, so the native, half of him toward the front of Mount Gerizim and half of him toward the front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the servant of Yahweh, had commanded to bless the people of Israel at the first. BSB BSB: 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 ULT And afterward, he read all of the words of the law, the blessings and the curses, according to everything written in the book of the law. BSB BSB: 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 ULT There was not a word from all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read in front of all of the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the children, and the sojourners going in the midst of them. BSB BSB: 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.