Joshua

The Conquest of Ai

Then the Lord told Joshua: “Do not fear or be discouraged—March with all your warriors against the city of Ai. I will give into your hands its king and its people, the city and territory.

You shall deal with Ai as you have dealt with Jericho and its king. But you may take possession of the plunder and all the animals. So now, prepare an ambush behind the city.”

So Joshua left with all his warriors and went up to Ai. Then, he chose thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night.

And he commanded them: “Lie in ambush behind the city. Do not go too far; be prepared.

I and everyone with me shall surround the city. But when they come out against us, as before, we shall flee from them.

Then they shall pursue us and go far from the city, thinking that we are fleeing from them as before.

But then you shall rise from where you hide and occupy the city. The Lord, our God, will give it to us.

After capturing the city, you shall burn it according to what the Lord has commanded. These are my orders.”

So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site between Bethel and Ai, west of the city, where Joshua slept that night with his people.

Early in the morning, Joshua rose, gathered his army, and led the people, along with the leaders.

All the warriors with him moved forward and marched until they reached the front of the city. Then, they camped on the northern side of the city. The valley separated them from the city.

(Then he took five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.)

The people then set up their camp to the north of the city and placed their rearguard to the west. That night, Joshua was in the valley.

When the king of Ai saw the situation, he hurried with all his people to attack Israel on the slope across from the valley of Jordan, unaware that the Israelites had set an ambush behind the city.

Joshua and the Israelites acted as if they were losing, so they fled toward the road that led to the wilderness.

Then, all the city’s residents started shouting and pursued them.

No one was left to defend the city, so they left it vulnerable.

Then the Lord said to Joshua: “Stretch out toward Ai the javelin you have in your hand because I have given you this city.”

So Joshua did as commanded, and at this signal, the warriors rose from their hiding place in the ambush and ran toward the city. They entered, seized the city, and set it on fire.

The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke from the city rising to heaven, and at the same time, the Israelites who were fleeing turned back toward them.

They lost their courage as the Israelites trapped them:

for on one side were Joshua and all the people of Israel, and on the other, those who had just set the city on fire. The Israelites killed them all, leaving none to survive or escape.

Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and they brought him to Joshua.

The Israelites killed the inhabitants of Ai who went into the fields or who fled to the wilderness; they killed them all. Then they returned to the city and killed everyone with the sword.

The total number of those who fell that day was twelve thousand.

Joshua did not give the order to stop the war until all the inhabitants of Ai had been killed by anathema.

But the Israelites took the livestock and plunder as the Lord had commanded.

Joshua burned the city and left it in ruins. That place has remained unchanged to this day.

As for the king of Ai, Joshua had him hanged on a tree until sunset. Then he had his body taken down; they cast it at the entrance of the city and raised over it a great heap of stones, which can be seen to this day.

Joshua then built an altar for the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal.

He fulfilled what Moses had commanded the children of Israel. According to the written Law of Moses, the altar was made of uncut stones and built without the use of an iron tool. On this altar, he offered burnt and peace offerings to the Lord.

There, in the presence of the Israelites, he inscribed a copy of the law Moses had written onto the stones.

All the people stood on both sides of the Ark, along with their leaders, secretaries, and judges. Opposite it were the priests and Levites who carried the Ark of the Lord. Israelites by birth and foreigners were together. Half the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim, and the other half near Mount Ebal, as commanded by Moses for the blessing of Israel.

Joshua then read aloud the words of blessing and curse, along with everything written in the book of the law.

He did not leave out any part of what Moses had written. He read it aloud before the entire assembly of Israel, including women, children, and foreigners living among them.