| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1The LORD then told Joshua, "Don't be afraid or lose heart! Take all the fighting men with you, and go up right now to Ai. Take note that I have handed over the king of Ai into your control, along with his people, his city, and his land. | 1The LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole military force with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land. |
| 2Do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but take its spoil and its livestock as war booty for yourselves. Set an ambush around the city." | 2Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king; you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city." |
| 3So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night, | 3So Joshua and the whole military force set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 fighting men and sent them out at night. |
| 4telling them, "Pay attention now! You are to set up an ambush around the city. Don't go very far from the city, and all of you remain on alert. | 4He commanded them: "Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready. |
| 5I and all of the army with me will advance upon the city. When they come out after us like they did before, we'll run away from them. | 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. |
| 6They'll come after us until we've drawn them away from the city, because they'll say, 'They're running away from us just like they did before.' While we're running away from 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, |
| 7you get up from the ambush and seize the city, because the LORD your God will give it into your control. | 7you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God has handed it over to you. |
| 8When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!" | 8After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the LORD's command--see that you do as I have ordered you." |
| 9So Joshua sent them out, and they set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night in the camp among the army. | 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. |
| 10In the morning, Joshua got up early, mustered his army, and set off for Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel in full view of the army. | 10Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the troops up to Ai. |
| 11The entire fighting force with him attacked, approaching the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and 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. |
| 12Taking about 5,000 men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city, | 12Now Joshua had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. |
| 13stationing their forces with its main encampment north of the city and its rear guard to the west. Joshua spent that night in the valley. | 13The military force was 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. |
| 14When the king of Ai saw what had happened, he and his army quickly got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle. He and all his people met at the place adjacent to the desert plain. But he didn't know about the ambush that had been set for him on the other side of the city. | 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. |
| 15Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness, | 15Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness. |
| 16everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town. | 16Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. |
| 17There wasn't a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn't run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel. | 17Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel. |
| 18Then the LORD told Joshua, "Stretch out the battle lance that's in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your control." So Joshua stretched out the battle lance that was in his hand toward the city. | 18Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out the sword in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you." So Joshua held out his sword toward it. |
| 19As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush quickly got up from their place of hiding and attacked. They entered the city, seized it, and immediately set it on fire. | 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. |
| 20Then the men of Ai looked back behind them—and all of a sudden!—smoke from the city was rising into the sky. They were unable to run in any direction, because the Israelis who had fled toward the wilderness had turned around to attack their pursuers. | 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. |
| 21When Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel observed that the men who had been in ambush had seized the city and that the smoke from the city was rising, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. | 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. |
| 22Then the others came out from the city against them, so the men of Ai were surrounded by the Israelis, some on one side and some on the other. Israel attacked them until no one was left to survive or escape. | 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, |
| 23But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua. | 23but they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua. |
| 24When Israel had completed executing all of the residents of Ai in the open wilderness where they had chased them, and after all of them—to the very last of them—had been killed by swords, the entire fighting force of Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with swords. | 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. |
| 25The total of all who fell that day, including men and women, was 12,000—the entire population of Ai. | 25The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was 12,000--all the people of Ai. |
| 26Joshua did not cease his attack until he had completely destroyed every inhabitant of Ai. | 26Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the sword until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed. |
| 27Israel took only the livestock and the spoil of that city as their war booty, in accordance with what the LORD had commanded to Joshua. | 27Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the LORD's command that He had given Joshua. |
| 28Joshua burned Ai, turning it into a permanent mound of ruins, and it remains so to this day. | 28Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day. |
| 29He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until dusk, and at sunset Joshua ordered his body brought down from the tree and laid at the entrance to the gate of the town. There he raised over it a large mound of stones, which stands there to 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 remains to this day. |
| 30Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, | 30At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel, |
| 31just the way Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: "…an altar of uncut stones that hasn't been worked with iron tools…" and they offered burnt offerings to the LORD on it, along with peace offerings. | 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. |
| 32There Joshua inscribed on stones a copy of the Law of Moses that Moses had presented to the Israelis. | 32There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites. |
| 33All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the LORD's servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel. | 33All Israel, foreigner 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. As Moses the LORD's servant had commanded earlier, half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal, to bless the people of Israel. |
| 34Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the Law—both the blessings and the curses—according to everything written in the Book of the Law. | 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. |
| 35There wasn't one word of everything Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, their little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them. | 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 little children, and the foreigners who were with them. |
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