Christian Standard Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.

1Now the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not fear or be dismayed. Take all the people of war with you and arise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

2Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

2"You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it."

3So Joshua and all the troops set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand of his best soldiers and sent them out at night.

3So Joshua rose with all the people of war to go up to Ai; and Joshua chose 30,000 men, valiant warriors, and sent them out at night.

4He commanded them: "Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready.

4He commanded them, saying, "See, you are going to ambush the city from behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.

5Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.

5"Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as at the first, we will flee before them.

6They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing from us as before.' While we are fleeing from them,

6"They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are fleeing before us as at the first.' So we will flee before them.

7you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city. The LORD your God will hand it over to you.

7"And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

8After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the LORD's command--see that you do as I have ordered you."

8"Then it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it according to the word of the LORD. See, I have commanded you."

9So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops.

9So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

10Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai.

10Now Joshua rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai.

11All those who were with him went up and approached the city, arriving opposite Ai, and camped to the north of it, with a valley between them and the city.

11Then all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and arrived in front of the city, and camped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between him and Ai.

12Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

12And he took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

13The troops were stationed in this way: the main camp to the north of the city and its rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.

13So they stationed the people, all the army that was on the north side of the city, and its rear guard on the west side of the city, and Joshua spent that night in the midst of the valley.

14When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, the men of the city hurried and went out early in the morning so that he and all his people could engage Israel in battle at a suitable place facing the Arabah. But he did not know there was an ambush waiting for him behind the city.

14It came about when the king of Ai saw it, that 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 before the desert plain. But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.

15Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness.

15Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

16Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

16And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and 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, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel.

17So not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who had not gone out after Israel, and they left the city unguarded and pursued Israel.

18Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you." So Joshua held out his javelin toward it.

18Then the LORD 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.

19When he held out his hand, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They ran, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.

19The men in ambush rose quickly from their place, and when he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it, and they quickly set the city on fire.

20The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was rising to the sky! They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.

20When the men of Ai turned back and looked, behold, the smoke of the city ascended to the sky, and they had no place to flee this way or that, for the people who had been fleeing to the wilderness turned against the pursuers.

21When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai.

21When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that the smoke of the city ascended, they turned back and slew the men of Ai.

22Then men in ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces, some on one side and some on the other. They struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained,

22The others came out from the city to encounter them, so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; and they slew them until no one was left of those who survived or escaped.

23but they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

23But they took alive the king of Ai and brought him to Joshua.

24When Israel had finished killing everyone living in Ai who had pursued them into the open country, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the sword.

24Now when 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 destroyed, then all Israel returned to Ai and struck it with the edge of the sword.

25The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand--all the people of Ai.

25All who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000-- all the people of Ai.

26Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.

26For Joshua did not withdraw his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

27Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the LORD's command that he had given Joshua.

27Israel took only the cattle and the spoil of that city as plunder for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He had commanded Joshua.

28Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, still desolate today.

28So Joshua burned Ai and made it a heap forever, a desolation until this day.

29He hung the body of the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree. They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which still remains today.

29He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening; and at sunset Joshua gave command and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the city gate, and raised over it a great heap of stones that stands to this day.

30At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

30Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel, in Mount Ebal,

31just as Moses the LORD's servant 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. Then they offered burnt offerings to the LORD and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it.

31just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of uncut stones on which no man had wielded an iron tool; and they offered burnt offerings on it to the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites.

32He wrote there on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written, in the presence of the sons of Israel.

33All Israel--resident alien and citizen alike--with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the LORD's covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the LORD's servant had commanded earlier concerning blessing the people of Israel.

33All Israel with their elders and officers and their judges were standing on both sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, the stranger as well as the native. Half of them stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had given command at first to bless the people of Israel.

34Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law--the blessings as well as the curses--according to all that is written in the book of the law.

34Then afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the dependents, and the resident aliens who lived among them.

35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel with the women and the little ones and the strangers who were living among them.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.

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