Dual Panel1The Lord <03068> told <0559> Joshua <03091>, “Don’t <0408> be afraid <03372> and don’t <0408> panic <02865>! Take <03947> the whole <03605> army <04421> <05971> with you and march <05927> against Ai <05857>! See <07200>, I am handing over <05414> to you the king <04428> of Ai <05857>, along with his people <05971>, city <05892>, and land <0776>.
2Do <06213> to Ai <05857> and its king <04428> what <0834> you did <06213> to Jericho <03405> and its king <04428>, except <07535> you may plunder <07998> its goods <0962> and cattle <0929>. Set <07760> an ambush <0693> behind <0310> the city <05892>!”
3Joshua <03091> and the whole <03605> army <04421> <05971> marched <05927> against Ai <05857>. Joshua <03091> selected <0977> thirty <07970> thousand <0505> brave warriors <01368> <0376> and sent <07971> them out at night <03915>.
4He told <06680> them, “Look <07200>, set an ambush <0693> behind <0310> the city <05892>. Don’t <0408> go <07368> very <03966> far <07368> from <04480> the city <05892>; all <03605> of you be <01961> ready <03559>!
5I <0589> and all <03605> the troops <05971> who <0834> are with <0854> me will approach <07126> the city <05892>. When <03588> they come out <03318> to fight <07125> us like before <07223>, we will retreat <05127> from <06440> them.
6They will attack <0310> <03318> us until <05704> we have lured <05423> them from <04480> the city <05892>, for <03588> they will say <0559>, ‘They are retreating <05127> from us like <0834> before <06440>.’ We will retreat <05127> from them.
7Then you <0859> rise up <06965> from your hiding place <0693> and seize <03423> the city <05892>. The Lord <03068> your God <0430> will hand <05414> it over to you <03027>.
8When you capture <08610> the city <05892>, set <03341> it <05892> on fire <0784>. Do <06213> as the Lord <03068> says <01697>! See <07200>, I have given <06680> you orders <06680>.”
9Joshua <03091> sent <07971> them away <07971> and they went <01980> to <0413> their hiding <03993> place <03427> west <03220> of Ai <05857>, between <0996> Bethel <01008> and <0996> Ai <05857>. Joshua <03091> spent <03885> that <01931> night <03915> with <08432> the army <05971>.
10Bright and early <07925> the next morning <01242> Joshua <03091> gathered <06485> the army <05971>, and he and the leaders <02205> of Israel <03478> marched <05927> at the head <06440> of it <05971> to Ai <05857>.
11All <03605> the troops <04421> <05971> that <0834> were with <0854> him marched up <05927> and drew <05066> near <05048> the city <05892>. They camped <02583> north <06828> of Ai <05857> <05857> on the other side <0996> of the valley <01516>.
12He took <03947> five <02568> thousand <0505> men <0376> and set <07760> an ambush <0693> west <03220> of the city <05892> between <0996> Bethel <01008> and <0996> Ai <05857>.
13The army <05971> was in position– the main <07760> army <04264> north <06828> of the city <05892> and the rear guard <06119> west <03220> of the city <05892>. That <01931> night <03915> Joshua <03091> went <01980> into the middle <08432> of the valley <06010>.
14When <01961> the king <04428> of Ai <05857> saw <07200> Israel, he and his <01931> whole <03605> army <05971> quickly <04116> got up <07925> the next day and went out <03318> to fight <04421> <07125> Israel <03478> at the meeting place <04150> near <06440> the Arabah <06160>. But he <01931> did not <03808> realize <03045> men were hiding <0693> behind <0310> the city <05892>.
15Joshua <03091> and all <03605> Israel <03478> pretended to be defeated <05060> by <06440> them and they retreated <05127> along the way <01870> to the desert <04057>.
16All <03605> the reinforcements <05971> in Ai <05892> were ordered <02199> to chase <0310> <07291> them; they chased <0310> <07291> Joshua <03091> and were lured away <05423> from <04480> the city <05892>.
17No <03808> men <0376> were left <07604> in Ai <05857> or <03808> Bethel <01008>; they all went out <03318> after <0310> Israel <03478>. They left <05800> the city <05892> wide open <06605> and chased <0310> <07291> Israel <03478>.
18The Lord <03068> told <0559> Joshua <03091>, “Hold out <05186> toward <0413> Ai <05857> the curved sword <03591> in your hand <03027>, for <03588> I am handing <05414> <03027> the city over <05414> <03027> to you.” So Joshua <03091> held out <05186> toward <0413> Ai <05892> the curved sword <03591> in his hand <03027>.
19When he held out <05186> his hand <03027>, the men waiting in ambush <0693> rose up <06965> quickly <04120> from their place <04725> and attacked <07323>. They entered <0935> the city <05892>, captured <03920> it, and immediately <04116> set <03341> it <05892> on fire <0784>.
20When the men <0376> of Ai <05857> turned <06437> around <0310>, they saw <07200> the smoke <06227> from the city <05892> ascending <05927> into the sky <08064> and were <01961> so shocked they were unable <03027> to flee <05127> in any direction <02008> <02008>. In the meantime the men <05971> who were retreating <05127> to the desert <04057> turned <02015> against <0413> their pursuers <07291>.
21When Joshua <03091> and all <03605> Israel <03478> saw <07200> that <03588> the men in ambush <0693> had captured <03920> the city <05892> and that <03588> the city <05892> was going up <05927> in smoke <06227>, they turned around <07725> and struck down <05221> the men <0582> of Ai <05857>.
22At the same time the men <0428> who had taken the city <05892> came out <03318> to fight <07125>, and the men <0428> of Ai were trapped in the middle <08432>. The Israelites <03478> struck <05221> them down <05221>, leaving <07604> no <01115> survivors <08300> or refugees <06412>.
23But they captured <08610> the king <04428> of Ai <05857> alive <02416> and brought <07126> him to <0413> Joshua <03091>.
24When <01961> Israel <03478> had finished <03615> killing <02026> all <03605> the men <03427> of Ai <05857> who <0834> had chased <07291> them toward the desert <04057> <07704> (they all <03605> fell <05307> by <05704> the sword <02719>), all <03605> Israel <03478> returned <07725> to Ai <05857> and put <05221> the sword to it <02719> <05221>.
25Twelve <06240> <08147> thousand <0505> men <0376> and <05704> women <0802> died <05307> that <01931> day <03117>, including all <03605> the men <0376> of Ai <05857>.
26Joshua <03091> kept <07725> <03808> holding out <05186> his curved sword <03591> until <05704> Israel had annihilated <02763> all <03605> who <0834> lived <03427> in Ai <05857>.
27But <07535> Israel <03478> did plunder <0962> the cattle <0929> and the goods <07998> of the city <05892>, in accordance <01697> with the Lord’s <03068> orders <06680> to Joshua <03091>.
28Joshua <03091> burned <08313> Ai <05857> and made <07760> it a permanently <05769> uninhabited <08077> mound <08510> (it remains that way to <05704> this <02088> very day <03117>).
29He hung <08518> the king <04428> of Ai <05857> on <05921> a tree <06086>, leaving him exposed until <05704> evening <06153>. At sunset <08121> <0935> Joshua <03091> ordered <06680> that his corpse <05038> be taken down <03381> from <04480> the tree <06086>. They threw <07993> it down <07993> at <0413> the entrance <06607> of the city <05892> gate <08179> and erected <06965> over <05921> it a large <01419> pile <01530> of stones <068> (it remains to this <02088> very day <03117> <05704>).
30Then <0227> Joshua <03091> built <01129> an altar <04196> for the Lord <03068> God <0430> of Israel <03478> on Mount <02022> Ebal <05858>,
31just <0834> as Moses <04872> the Lord’s <03068> servant <05650> had commanded <06680> the Israelites <03478> <01121>. As described <03789> in the law <08451> scroll <05612> of Moses <04872>, it <04196> was made with uncut <08003> stones <068> untouched <05130> <03808> by <05921> an iron tool <01270>. They offered <05927> burnt sacrifices <05930> on <05921> it and sacrificed <02076> tokens of peace <08002>.
32There <08033>, in the presence <06440> of the Israelites <03478> <01121>, Joshua inscribed <03789> on <05921> the stones <068> a duplicate <04932> of the law <08451> written <03789> by Moses <04872>.
33All <03605> the people <03478>, rulers <02205>, leaders <07860>, and judges <08199> were standing <05975> on either side <02088> <02088> of the ark <0727>, in front <05048> of the Levitical <03881> priests <03548> who carried <05375> the ark <0727> of the covenant <01285> of the Lord <03068>. Both resident foreigners <01616> and native <0249> Israelites were there. Half <02677> the people stood in <0413> front <04136> of Mount <02022> Gerizim <01630> and the other half <02677> in <0413> front <04136> of Mount <02022> Ebal <05858>, as Moses <04872> the Lord’s <03068> servant <05650> had <0834> previously instructed <06680> to them to do for the formal blessing <01288> ceremony.
34Then Joshua read <07121> aloud all <03605> the words <01697> of the law <08451>, including the blessings <01293> and the curses <07045>, just as they are written <03789> in the law <08451> scroll <05612>.
35Joshua <03091> read <07121> aloud every <03605> commandment <01697> Moses <04872> had given <06680> before <05048> the whole <03605> assembly <06951> of Israel <03478>, including the women <0802>, children <02945>, and resident foreigners <01616> who lived <01980> among <07130> them.