Joshua 8
8
Ai Is Destroyed
1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid. Don’t give up. Lead all your fighting men to Ai. I will help you defeat the king of Ai. I am giving you his people, his city and his land. 2You will do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may take all the wealth. You may keep it for yourselves. Now tell some of your soldiers to set up an ambush behind the city.”
3So Joshua led his whole army toward Ai. Then he chose 30,000 of his best fighting men. He sent these men out at night. 4Joshua gave them these orders: “Listen carefully. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don’t go far from it. Continue to watch and be ready. 5I and the men who are with me will march toward the city. The men in the city will come out to fight us. Then we will turn and run away from them as we did before. 6They will chase us away from the city. They will think we are running away from them as we did before. When we run away, 7come out from your ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give you the power to win. 8After you take the city, burn it. See to it! You have your orders.”
9Then Joshua sent them to their place of ambush to wait. They went to a place between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed the night with his people.
10Early the next morning Joshua gathered his men together. He and the older leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11All of the soldiers who were with Joshua marched to Ai. They stopped in front of the city and made camp north of Ai. There was a valley between them and the city. 12Then Joshua chose about 5,000 men. He set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai. 13So the people took their positions. The main camp was north of the city. The other men were hiding to the west. That night Joshua went down into the valley.
14Now the king of Ai saw the army of Israel. So he and his people got up early the next morning and hurried out to fight them. They went out to a place east of the city. The king did not know soldiers were waiting in ambush behind the city. 15Joshua and all the men of Israel let the army of Ai push them back. Then they ran east toward the desert. 16The men in Ai were called to chase Joshua and his men. So they left the city and went after them. 17All the men of Ai and Bethel chased the army of Israel. The city was left open. Not a man stayed to protect it.
18Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold your spear toward Ai. I will give you that city.” So Joshua held his spear toward the city of Ai. 19The men of Israel who were in ambush saw this. They quickly came out of their hiding place and hurried toward the city. They entered the city and took control of it. Then they quickly set it on fire.
20When the men of Ai looked back, they saw smoke rising from their city. At the same time the men of Israel stopped running. They turned against the men of Ai. The men of Ai could not escape in any direction. 21Joshua and all his men saw that the army had taken control of the city. They saw the smoke rising from it. So they stopped running and turned to fight the men of Ai. 22The men who were in ambush also came out of the city to help with the fight. The men of Ai were caught between the armies of Israel. The Israelites fought until not one of the men of Ai was left alive. None of the enemy escaped. 23But the king of Ai was left alive. And Joshua’s men brought him to Joshua.
A Review of the Fighting
24During the fighting the army of Israel chased the men of Ai into the fields and desert. So the Israelites killed all of them in the fields and desert. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25All the people of Ai died that day, 12,000 men and women. 26Joshua had held his spear toward Ai. It was a sign to his people to destroy the city. And Joshua held out his spear until all the people of Ai were destroyed. 27The people of Israel kept the animals for themselves. They also kept the other things the people of Ai had owned. This is what the Lord told them to do when he gave Joshua the commands.
28Then Joshua burned the city of Ai. It became an empty pile of ruins. And it is still like that today. 29Joshua hung the king of Ai on a tree. He left him hanging there until evening. At sunset Joshua told his men to take the king’s body down from the tree. He told them to throw it down at the city gate. Then they covered it with rocks. That pile of rocks is still there today.
30Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord, the God of Israel. He built it on Mount Ebal, as 31Moses, the Lord’s servant, had commanded. Joshua built the altar as it was explained in the Book of the Teachings of Moses. The altar was made from stones that were not cut. No tool was ever used on them. The Israelites offered burnt offerings to the Lord on that altar. They also offered fellowship offerings. 32There Joshua wrote the teachings of Moses on stones. He did this for all the people of Israel to see. 33The elders, officers, judges and all the Israelites were there. They were standing around the Ark of the Covenant with the Lord. They stood before the priests, the Levites who had carried the Ark of the Covenant. Israelites and non-Israelites were all standing there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Ebal. The other half stood in front of Mount Gerizim. This was the way the Lord’s servant Moses had earlier commanded the people to be blessed.
34Then Joshua read all the words of the teachings. He read the blessings and the curses. He read it exactly as they were written in the Book of the Teachings. 35All the Israelites were gathered together. All the women and children were there. All the non-Israelites living with the Israelites were there. Joshua read every command that Moses had given.
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Joshua 8: ICB
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Joshua 8
8
Israel Destroys the Town of Ai
1-2The Lord told Joshua:
Don't be afraid, and don't be discouraged by what happened at the town of Ai. Take the army and attack again. But first, order part of the army to set up an ambush on the other side of the town. I will help you defeat the king of Ai and his army, and you will capture the town and the land around it. Destroy Ai and kill its king as you did at Jericho. But you may keep the livestock and everything else you want.
3-4Joshua quickly got the army ready to attack Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best soldiers and gave them these orders:
Tonight, while it is dark, march to Ai and take up a position behind the town. Get as close to the town as you can without being seen, and be ready to attack.
5-6The rest of the army will come with me and attack near the gate. When the people of Ai come out to fight, we'll run away and let them chase us. They will think we are running from them just like the first time. But when we've let them chase us far enough away, 7you come out of hiding. The Lord our God will help you capture the town. 8Then set it on fire, as the Lord has told us to do. Those are your orders, 9now go!
The 30,000 soldiers went to a place on the west side of Ai, between Ai and Bethel, where they could hide and wait to attack.
That night, Joshua stayed in camp with the rest of the army. 10Early the next morning he got his troops ready to move out, and he and the other leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11They set up camp in full view of the town, across the valley to the north. 12Joshua had already sent 5,000 soldiers to the west side of the town to hide and wait to attack. 13Now all his troops were in place. Part of the army was in the camp to the north of Ai, and the others were hiding to the west, ready to make a surprise attack. That night, Joshua went into the valley.#8.13 valley: This may refer either to the Jordan River valley or to the valley between the Israelite camp and Ai.
14-15The king of Ai saw Joshua's army, so the king and his troops hurried out early the next morning to fight them. Joshua and his army pretended to be beaten, and they let the men of Ai chase them toward the desert. The king and his army were facing the Jordan valley as Joshua had planned.
The king did not realize that some Israelite soldiers were hiding behind the town. 16-17So he called out every man in Ai to go after Joshua's troops. They all rushed out to chase the Israelite army, and they left the town gates wide open. Not one man was left in Ai or in Bethel.#8.16,17 Ai or in Bethel: Hebrew; one ancient translation “Ai.”
Joshua let the men of Ai chase him and his army farther and farther away from Ai. 18Finally, the Lord told Joshua, “Point your sword#8.18 sword: Or “spear.” at the town of Ai, because now I am going to help you defeat it!”
As soon as Joshua pointed his sword at the town, 19the soldiers who had been hiding jumped up and ran into the town. They captured it and set it on fire.
20-21When Joshua and his troops saw smoke rising from the town, they knew that the other part of their army had captured it. So they turned and attacked.
The men of Ai looked back and saw smoke rising from their town. But they could not escape, because the soldiers they had been chasing had suddenly turned and started fighting. 22-24Meanwhile, the other Israelite soldiers had come from the town and attacked the men of Ai from the rear. The Israelites captured the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua. They also chased the rest of the men of Ai into the desert and killed them.#8.22-24 Joshua. They also chased … them: Or “Joshua. The men of Ai had chased the Israelites into the desert, but the Israelites killed them there.”
The Israelite army went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25-26Joshua kept his sword pointed at the town of Ai until every last one of Ai's 12,000 people was dead. 27But the Israelites took the animals and the other possessions of the people of Ai, because this was what the Lord had told Joshua to do.
28-29Joshua made sure every building in Ai was burned to the ground. He told his men to kill the king of Ai and hang his body on a tree. Then at sunset he told the Israelites to take down the body,#8.28,29 take down the body: See Deuteronomy 21.22,23. throw it in the gateway of the town, and cover it with a big pile of rocks. Those rocks are still there, and the town itself has never been rebuilt.
Joshua Reads the Blessings and Curses
(Deuteronomy 27.1-26)
30-32 #
Dt 27.2-8;
Ex 20.25. One day, Joshua led the people of Israel to Mount Ebal, where he told some of his men, “Build an altar for offering sacrifices to the Lord. And use stones that have never been cut with iron tools,#8.30-32 use stones … iron tools: See Exodus 20.25. because that is what Moses taught in The Book of the Law.”#8.30-32 taught … Law: Or “commanded … Teachings.”
Joshua offered sacrifices to please the Lord#8.30-32 sacrifices to please the Lord: These sacrifices have been traditionally called “whole burnt offerings” because the whole animal was burned on the altar. A main purpose of such sacrifices was to please the Lord with the smell of the sacrifice, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to please the Lord.” and to ask his blessing.#8.30-32 to ask his blessing: These sacrifices have traditionally been called “peace offerings,” or “offerings of well-being.” A main purpose was to ask for the Lord's blessing, and so in the CEV they are often called “sacrifices to ask the Lord's blessing.” Then with the Israelites still watching, he copied parts of The Book of the Law#8.30-32 Law: Or “Teachings.” of Moses onto stones.
33-35 #
Dt 11.29; 27.11-26. Moses had said that everyone in Israel was to go to the valley between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, where they were to be blessed. So everyone went there, including the foreigners, the leaders, officials, and judges. Half of the people stood on one side of the valley, and half on the other side, with the priests from the Levi tribe standing in the middle with the sacred chest. Then in a loud voice, Joshua read the blessings and curses from The Book of the Law#8.33-35 Law: Or “Teachings.” of Moses.#8.33-35 the blessings … Moses: Or “all of The Book of the Law of Moses, including the blessings and the curses.”
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.