< Joshua 8 >
1 And he said Yahweh to Joshua may not you fear and may not you be dismayed take with you all [the] people of war and arise go up Ai see - I have given in hand your [the] king of Ai and people his and city his and land his.
2 And you will do to Ai and to king its just as you did to Jericho and to king its only booty its and livestock its you will plunder for yourselves set for yourself an ambush for the city behind it.
3 And he arose Joshua and all [the] people of war to go up Ai and he chose Joshua thirty thousand man [the] mighty [men] of strength and he sent out them night.
4 And he commanded them saying see you [are] lying in wait for the city behind the city may not you go far away from the city very and you will be all of you prepared.
5 And I and all the people which [is] with me we will draw near to the city and it will be that they will come out to meet us just as at the first [time] and we will flee before them.
6 And they will come out after us until have drawn out we them from the city for they will say [they are] fleeing before us just as at the first [time] and we will flee before them.
7 And you you will arise from the ambush and you will take possession of the city and he will give it Yahweh God your in hand your.
8 And it will be when have captured you the city you will set on fire the city with fire according to [the] word of Yahweh you will do see I have commanded you.
9 And he sent out them Joshua and they went to the ambush and they remained between Beth-el and between Ai from [the] west of Ai and he stayed Joshua in the night that in among the people.
10 And he rose early Joshua in the morning and he mustered the people and he went up he and [the] elders of Israel before the people Ai.
11 And all the people of war which [was] with him they went up and they approached and they came before the city and they encamped from [the] north of Ai and the valley ([was] between it *Qk) and between Ai.
12 And he took about five thousand man and he set them an ambush between Beth-el and between Ai from [the] west of the city.
13 And they set the people all the camp which [was] from [the] north of the city and rearguard its from [the] west of the city and he went Joshua in the night that in [the] middle of the valley.
14 And it was when saw [the] king of Ai and they hurried and they rose early and they went out [the] men of the city to meet Israel for battle he and all people his to the appointed place before the Arabah and he not he knew that an ambush for him [was] behind the city.
15 And they were struck Joshua and all Israel before them and they fled [the] direction of the wilderness.
16 And they were called together all the people which ([was] in Ai *QK) to pursue after them and they pursued after Joshua and they were drawn out from the city.
17 And not he remained anyone in Ai and Beth-el who not they went out after Israel and they left the city open and they pursued after Israel.
18 And he said Yahweh to Joshua stretch out with the javelin which [is] in hand your to Ai for in hand your I will give it and he stretched out Joshua with the javelin which [was] in hand his to the city.
19 And the ambush it arose quickly from place its and they ran when stretched out hand his and they went the city and they captured it and they hurried and they set on fire the city with fire.
20 And they turned [the] men of Ai behind them and they saw and there! it went up [the] smoke of the city the heavens towards and not it was in them hands to flee hither and hither and the people which was fleeing the wilderness it turned back against the pursuer.
21 And Joshua and all Israel they saw that it had captured the ambush the city and that it went up [the] smoke of the city and they turned back and they attacked [the] men of Ai.
22 And these [men] they came out from the city to meet them and they were to Israel in the middle these from this and these from this and they struck down them until not he had left to him a survivor and a fugitive.
23 And [the] king of Ai they captured alive and they brought near him to Joshua.
24 And it was when had finished Israel to kill all [the] inhabitants of Ai in the open country in the wilderness which they had pursued them in it and they had fallen all of them to [the] mouth of [the] sword until were finished they and they returned all Israel Ai and they attacked it to [the] mouth of [the] sword.
25 And it was all those [who] fell on the day that from man and unto woman two plus ten thousand all [the] people of Ai.
26 And Joshua not he drew back hand his which he had stretched out with the javelin until that he had totally destroyed all [the] inhabitants of Ai.
27 Only the livestock and [the] booty of the city that they plundered for themselves Israel according to [the] word of Yahweh which he had commanded Joshua.
28 And he burned Joshua Ai and he made it a mound of perpetuity a desolation until the day this.
29 And [the] king of Ai he hanged on the tree until [the] time of the evening and just as went the sun he commanded Joshua and they took down corpse his from the tree and they threw it to [the] entrance of [the] gate of the city and they set up over him a heap of stones great until the day this.
30 Then he built Joshua an altar to Yahweh [the] God of Israel on [the] mountain of Ebal.
31 Just as he had commanded Moses [the] servant of Yahweh [the] people of Israel according to [what] is written in [the] book of [the] law of Moses an altar of stones complete which not anyone has wielded on them iron and they offered up on it burnt offerings to Yahweh and they sacrificed peace offerings.
32 And he wrote there on the stones copy of [the] law of Moses which he had written before [the] people of Israel.
33 And all Israel and elders its and officials - and judges its [were] standing from this - and from this - of the ark before the priests the Levites [the] bearers of - [the] ark of [the] covenant of Yahweh as the sojourner as the native half of it to [the] front of [the] mountain of Gerizim and half of it to [the] front of [the] mountain of Ebal just as he had commanded Moses [the] servant of Yahweh to bless the people Israel at the former [time].
34 And after thus he read aloud all [the] words of the law the blessing and the curse according to every [thing] written in [the] book of the law.
35 Not it was anything from all that he had commanded Moses which not he read aloud Joshua before all [the] assembly of Israel and the women and the little one[s] and the sojourner[s] who went in midst their.
