1 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: 2 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.
3 ¶ 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. 4 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: 5 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, 6 (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. 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 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.
9 ¶ Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 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. 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. 12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. 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.
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. 15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 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. 17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 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. 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. 26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 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. 28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 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.
30 ¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal, 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.
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. 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. 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. 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.
1 dixit autem Dominus ad Iosue ne timeas neque formides
tolle tecum omnem multitudinem pugnatorum
et consurgens ascende in oppidum Ahi
ecce tradidi in manu tua regem eius et populum urbemque et terram
2 faciesque urbi Ahi et regi eius sicut fecisti Hiericho et regi illius
praedam vero et omnia animantia diripietis vobis
pone insidias urbi post eam
3 surrexitque Iosue et omnis exercitus bellatorum cum eo
ut ascenderent in Ahi
et electa triginta milia virorum fortium misit nocte
4 praecepitque eis dicens
ponite insidias post civitatem nec longius recedatis
et eritis omnes parati
5 ego autem et reliqua multitudo quae mecum est
accedemus ex adverso contra urbem
cumque exierint contra nos sicut ante fecimus
fugiemus et terga vertemus
6 donec persequentes ab urbe longius protrahantur
putabunt enim fugere nos sicut prius
7 nobis ergo fugientibus et illis sequentibus
consurgetis de insidiis et vastabitis civitatem
tradetque eam Dominus Deus vester in manus vestras
8 cumque ceperitis succendite eam
sic omnia facietis ut iussi
9 dimisitque eos et perrexerunt ad insidiarum locum
sederuntque inter Bethel et Ahi ad occidentalem plagam
urbis Ahi
Iosue autem nocte illa in medio mansit populi
10 surgensque diluculo recensuit socios
et ascendit cum senioribus in fronte exercitus
vallatus auxilio pugnatorum
11 cumque venissent et ascendissent ex adverso civitatis
steterunt ad septentrionalem urbis plagam
inter quam et eos vallis media erat
12 quinque milia autem viros elegerat
et posuerat in insidiis inter Bethaven et Ahi
ex occidentali parte eiusdem civitatis
13 omnis vero reliquus exercitus ad aquilonem aciem dirigebat
ita ut novissimi multitudinis occidentalem plagam urbis
adtingerent
abiit ergo Iosue nocte illa et stetit in vallis medio
14 quod cum vidisset rex Ahi
festinavit mane et egressus est cum omni exercitu civitatis
direxitque aciem contra desertum
ignorans quod post tergum laterent insidiae
15 Iosue vero et omnis Israhel cesserunt loco
simulantes metum et fugientes per viam solitudinis
16 at illi vociferantes pariter et se mutuo cohortantes
persecuti sunt eos
cumque recessissent a civitate
17 et ne unus quidem in urbe Ahi et Bethel remansisset
qui non persequeretur Israhel
sicut eruperant aperta oppida relinquentes
18 dixit Dominus ad Iosue
leva clypeum qui in manu tua est contra urbem Ahi
quoniam tibi tradam eam
19 cumque elevasset clypeum ex adverso civitatis
insidiae quae latebant surrexerunt confestim
et pergentes ad civitatem ceperunt et succenderunt eam
20 viri autem civitatis qui persequebantur Iosue
respicientes et videntes fumum urbis ad caelum usque conscendere
non potuerunt ultra huc illucque diffugere
praesertim cum hii qui simulaverant fugam
et tendebant ad solitudinem
contra persequentes fortissime restitissent
21 vidensque Iosue et omnis Israhel
quod capta esset civitas et fumus urbis ascenderet
reversus percussit viros Ahi
22 siquidem et illi qui ceperant et succenderant civitatem
egressi ex urbe contra suos medios hostium ferire coeperunt
cum ergo ex utraque parte adversarii caederentur
ita ut nullus de tanta multitudine salvaretur
23 regem quoque urbis Ahi adprehendere viventem
et obtulerunt Iosue
24 igitur omnibus interfectis
qui Israhelem ad deserta tendentem fuerant persecuti
et in eodem loco gladio corruentibus
reversi filii Israhel percusserunt civitatem
25 erant autem qui in eo die conciderant a viro usque ad
mulierem
duodecim milia hominum omnes urbis Ahi
26 Iosue vero non contraxit manum
quam in sublime porrexerat tenens clypeum
donec interficerentur omnes habitatores Ahi
27 iumenta autem et praedam civitatis diviserunt sibi filii Israhel
sicut praeceperat Dominus Iosue
28 qui succendit urbem et fecit eam tumulum sempiternum
29 regem quoque eius suspendit in patibulo
usque ad vesperum et solis occasum
praecepitque et deposuerunt cadaver eius de cruce
proieceruntque in ipso introitu civitatis
congesto super eum magno acervo lapidum
qui permanet usque in praesentem diem
30 tunc aedificavit Iosue altare Domino Deo Israhel in monte Hebal
31 sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini filiis Israhel
et scriptum est in volumine legis Mosi
altare de lapidibus inpolitis quos ferrum non tetigit
et obtulit super eo holocausta Domino
immolavitque pacificas victimas
32 et scripsit super lapides deuteronomium legis Mosi
quod ille digesserat coram filiis Israhel
33 omnis autem populus et maiores natu
ducesque ac iudices stabant ex utraque parte arcae
in conspectu sacerdotum qui portabant arcam foederis Domini
ut advena ita et indigena
media eorum pars iuxta montem Garizim
et media iuxta montem Hebal
sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini
et primum quidem benedixit populo Israhel
34 post haec legit omnia verba benedictionis et maledictionis
et cuncta quae scripta erant in legis volumine
35 nihil ex his quae Moses iusserat reliquit intactum
sed universa replicavit coram omni multitudine Israhel
mulieribus ac parvulis et advenis qui inter eos morabantur