Joshua 8
8
1Then Adonai said to Joshua: “Do not be afraid or dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai. Behold, I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land into your hand.
2Then you will do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king—except you will take its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”
3So Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up to Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them at night.
4He commanded them saying: “Look, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Don’t go too far from the city, but all of you be ready.
5Then I and all the troops with me will approach the city. Then it will be when they come out against us, like the first time, that we will flee before them.
6So they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will think, ‘They are fleeing before us like the first time.’ While we are fleeing before them,
7you will rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city, for Adonai your God will give it into your hand.
8Now when you have seized the city, you will set the city on fire—according to the word of Adonai you must do. See that you do as I have ordered you.”
9So Joshua sent them off, and they went to the ambush site, taking position between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.
10Then Joshua rose up early in the morning and mustered the people. He and the elders of Israel marched before the people to Ai.
11All the people of war with him went up, advanced, and came in front of the city. They camped to the north of Ai, with a valley between him and Ai.
12But he had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13So they stationed the people, the main army that was to the north of the city, and its rear guard to the west of the city. Then Joshua walked that night in the midst of the valley.
14So it came to pass when the king of Ai saw this, the men of the city hurried and rose up early, and went out to meet Israel in battle, he and all his people at the appointed place facing the Arabah. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
15So Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness.
16Then all the people who were in Ai were summoned to pursue them, so they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, so they left the city open as they chased after Israel.
18Then Adonai said to Joshua, “Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” So Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.
19As soon as he stretched out his hand, the ambush arose quickly from their place, ran and entered the city and captured it; and immediately set the city on fire.
20Now the men of Ai looked back and saw, behold, the smoke of the city rising up to the sky! They had no place to flee this way or that, since the people who had been fleeing to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.
21When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city rose up, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.
22The others also came out of the city against them, so they were surrounded by Israel, some on this side and some on that side. They struck them down until not one survivor or fugitive was left.
23But they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24After Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the field in the wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them were fallen by the edge of the sword until they were consumed, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.
25All who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000—all the people of Ai.
26For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
27Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of Adonai which He had commanded Joshua.
28So Joshua burnt Ai and made it a permanent heap of desolation to this day.
29Then he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sunset Joshua commanded that they take his carcass down from the tree, cast it at the entrance of the gate of the city, and piled over it a great heap of stones, which remains to this day.
30Then Joshua built an altar to Adonai, God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,
31as Moses the servant of Adonai had commanded Bnei-Yisrael, as written in the scroll of the Torah of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded any iron tool. They offered on it burnt offerings to Adonai and sacrificed fellowship offerings.
32 There on the stones he wrote a copy of the Torah of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of Bnei-Yisrael.
33Then all Israel, with their elders and officials, and their judges, were standing on both sides of the ark facing the Levitical kohanim carrying the ark of the covenant of Adonai—the outsider as well as the native-born. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal—just as Moses the servant of Adonai had commanded before—in order to bless the people of Israel.
34Then afterward he read all the words of the Torah—the blessing and the curse—according to all that is written in the book of the Torah.
35There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, including the women and the little ones and the outsiders walking among them.
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Joshua 8: TLV
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Copyright © 2014 - Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society
Joshua 8
8
Plan to capture Ai
1The LORD said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid or terrified. Take the entire army with you. Start to go up to Ai. Look! I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land into your power. 2Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. But you may take its booty and cattle as plunder. Set your ambush behind the city.”
3So Joshua and the whole army got ready to go up to Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand brave soldiers. He sent them out by night. 4He commanded them, “Look. You are to ambush the city from behind. Don’t move too far away from the city. Be ready, all of you. 5I will approach the city with all the people. When they come out against us the same way as before, we will flee from them. 6They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. They will think, They are fleeing from us as before. So we will flee from them. 7But you will rise up from the ambush and take over the city. The LORD your God will give it into your power. 8As soon as you seize the city, set it on fire. Act according to the LORD’s word. Indeed, I have given you an order!”
9Joshua sent them off, and they went to set the ambush. They stayed between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night among the people. 10Joshua got up early in the morning and mustered the people. Then he and the elders of Israel went up in front of the people to Ai. 11The entire army that was with him went up. They moved in close, in front of the city. Then they camped north of Ai, with the valley between them and Ai. 12He took about five thousand men and positioned them as an ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city. 13The people positioned the main camp on the north side of the city and its rear guard on its west side. That night, Joshua went into the middle of the valley.
Israel’s successful strategy
14As soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his troops, the men of the city, hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle. They moved out to the battleground on the slopes down toward the Jordan.#8.14 Or the Arabah He didn’t know that there was an ambush set against him behind the city. 15Then Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten before them. They fled in the direction of the desert. 16Next, all the troops who were still in the city were called out to chase them. They chased after Joshua and so let themselves be drawn away from the city. 17No one who hadn’t gone out after Israel was left in either Ai or Bethel. They left the city wide open and chased after Israel.
18The LORD said to Joshua, “Point the dagger in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your power.” So Joshua pointed the dagger in his hand toward the city. 19The ambush quickly rose from its place. As soon as he reached out his hand, it charged. They entered the city and captured it. They set the city on fire at once. 20Then the men of Ai turned around. They caught sight of the smoke of the city rising toward the sky. They had no chance to flee one way or the other. The troops who were fleeing toward the desert turned against the pursuit. 21Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city was rising. So they turned and struck down the men of Ai. 22When other Israelites came out of the city to confront them, the men of Ai were caught in the middle. Some Israelites were on one side of them and some on the other. The Israelites struck them down until there was no one left to escape. 23But they seized the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24Israel finished killing the entire population of Ai that had chased them out into the open wasteland. All of them were finished off without mercy. Then all Israel went back to Ai and struck it down without mercy. 25Twelve thousand men and women died that day, all the people of Ai. 26Joshua didn’t pull back the hand that was stretched out holding a dagger until he had wiped out the whole population of Ai as something reserved for God. 27However, Israel did take the cattle and other booty of that city as plunder for themselves, in agreement with the command that the LORD had given Joshua. 28Then Joshua burned Ai. He made it a permanently deserted mound. That is still the case today. 29He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. At sundown, Joshua gave an order, and they took his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the opening of the city gate. Then they raised over it a great pile of stones that is still there today.
Joshua reads the Instruction
30Then Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel. 31This was exactly what Moses the LORD’s servant had commanded the Israelites. It is what is written in the Instruction scroll from Moses: “an altar of crude stones against which no iron tool has swung.”#8.31 Deut 27:5-6 On it they offered entirely burned offerings to the LORD and sacrificed well-being offerings. 32There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on the stones a copy of the Instruction from Moses, which Moses had written earlier. 33All Israel—with its elders, officers, and judges—were standing on either side of the chest. They were facing the levitical priests who carry the LORD’s chest containing the covenant. They included both immigrants and full citizens. Half stood facing Mount Gerizim and half stood facing Mount Ebal. This was exactly what Moses the LORD’s servant had initially commanded for the blessing of the Israelite people. 34Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the Instruction, both blessing and curse, in agreement with everything written in the Instruction scroll. 35There wasn’t a single word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read aloud in the presence of the entire assembly of Israel. This assembly included the women and small children, along with the immigrants who lived among them.
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