06_JOS_08_01 And the LORD said unto Joshua , Fear not , neither be thou dismayed : take all the people of war with thee , And Arise , go up to Ai : see , I have given into thy hand the king of Ai , And his people , And his city , And his land :
06_JOS_08_02 And thou shalt do to Ai And her king as thou didst unto Jericho And her king : only the spoil thereof , And the cattle thereof , shall ye take for A prey unto yourselves : lay thee an ambush for the city behind it .
06_JOS_08_03 So Joshua arose , And all the people of war , to go up against Ai : And Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour , And sent them away by night .
06_JOS_08_04 And he commanded them , saying , behold , ye shall Lie in wait against the city , [ even ] behind the city : go not very far from the city , but be ye all ready :
06_JOS_08_05 And I , And all the people that [ are ] with me , will approach unto the city : And it shall come to pass , when they come out against us , as at the first , that we will flee before them ,
06_JOS_08_06 [ for they will come out after us ] till we have drawn them from the city ; for they will say , they flee before us , as at the first : therefore we will flee before them .
06_JOS_08_07 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush , And seize upon the city : for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand .
06_JOS_08_08 And it shall be , when ye have taken the city , [ that ] ye shall set the city on fire : according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do . see , I have commanded you .
06_JOS_08_09 Joshua therefore sent them forth : And they went to Lie in ambush , And abode between Bethel And Ai , on the west side of Ai : but Joshua lodged that night among the people .
06_JOS_08_10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning , And numbered the people , And went up , he And the elders of Israel , before the people to Ai .
06_JOS_08_11 And all the people , [ even the people ] of war that [ were ] with him , went up , And drew nigh , And came before the city , And pitched on the north side of Ai : now [ there was ] A valley between them And Ai .
06_JOS_08_12 And he took about five thousand men , And set them to Lie in ambush between Bethel And Ai , on the west side of the city .
06_JOS_08_13 And when they had set the people , [ even ] all the host that [ was ] on the north of the city , And their liers in wait on the west of the city , Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley .
06_JOS_08_14 And it came to pass , when the king of Ai saw [ it ] , that they hasted And rose up early , And the men of the city went out against Israel to battle , he And all his people , at A time appointed , before the plain ; but he wist not that [ there were ] liers in ambush against him behind the city .
06_JOS_08_15 And Joshua And all Israel made as if they were beaten before them , And fled by the way of the wilderness .
06_JOS_08_16 And all the people that [ were ] in Ai were called together to pursue after them : And they pursued after Joshua , And were drawn away from the city .
06_JOS_08_17 And there was not A man left in Ai or Bethel , that went not out after Israel : And they left the city open , And pursued after Israel .
06_JOS_08_18 And the LORD said unto Joshua , stretch out the spear that [ Is ] in thy hand toward Ai ; for I will give it into thine hand . And Joshua stretched out the spear that [ he had ] in his hand toward the city .
06_JOS_08_19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place , And they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand : And they entered into the city , And took it , And hasted And set the city on fire .
06_JOS_08_20 And when the men of Ai looked behind them , they saw , And , behold , the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven , And they had no power to flee this way or that way : And the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers .
06_JOS_08_21 And when Joshua And all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city , And that the smoke of the city ascended , Then they turned again , And slew the men of Ai .
06_JOS_08_22 And the other issued out of the city against them ; So they were in the midst of Israel , some on this side , And some on that side : And they smote them , So that they let none of them remain or escape .
06_JOS_08_23 And the king of Ai they took alive , And brought him to Joshua .
06_JOS_08_24 And it came to pass , when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field , in the wilderness wherein they chased them , And when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword , until they were consumed , that all the Israelites returned unto Ai , And smote it with the edge of the sword .
06_JOS_08_25 And [ So ] it was , [ that ] all that fell that day , Both of men And women , [ were ] twelve thousand , [ even ] all the men of Ai .
06_JOS_08_26 for Joshua drew not his hand back , wherewith he stretched out the spear , until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai .
06_JOS_08_27 only the cattle And the spoil of that city Israel took for A prey unto themselves , according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua .
06_JOS_08_28 And Joshua burnt Ai , And made it an heap for ever , [ even ] A desolation unto this day .
06_JOS_08_29 And the king of Ai he hanged on A tree until eventide : And as soon as the sun was down , Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree , And cast it at the entering of the gate of the city , And raise thereon A great heap of stones , [ that remaineth ] unto this day .
06_JOS_08_30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal ,
06_JOS_08_31 as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel , as it Is written in the book of the law of Moses , an altar of whole stones , over which no man hath lift up [ any ] iron : And they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD , And sacrificed peace offerings .
06_JOS_08_32 And he wrote there upon the stones A copy of the law of Moses , which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel .
06_JOS_08_33 And all Israel , And their elders , And officers , And their judges , stood on this side the ark And on that side before the priests the Levites , which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD , as Well the stranger , as he that was born among them ; half of them over against mount Gerizim , And half of them over against mount Ebal ; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before , that they should bless the people of Israel .
06_JOS_08_34 And Afterward he read all the words of the law , the blessings And cursings , according to all that Is written in the book of the law .
06_JOS_08_35 there was not A word of all that Moses commanded , which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel , with the women , And the little ones , And the strangers that were conversant among them .