The Fall of Ai

Joshua 8

1 And the Lord said to Joshua, f "Do not fear and do not be dismayed. Take all the fighting men with you, and arise, go up to Ai. See, g I have given into your hand the king of Ai, and his people, his city, and his land. 2 And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did h to Jericho and its king. Only i its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it."

3 So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to Ai. And Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out by night. 4 And he commanded them, "Behold, j you shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. 5 And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us k just as before, we shall flee before them. 6 And they will come out after us, until we have l drawn them away from the city. For they will say, 'They are fleeing from us, just as before.' So we will flee before them. 7 Then you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand. 8 And as soon as you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the word of the Lord. m See, I have commanded you." 9 So Joshua sent them out. And they went to the place of ambush and lay between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai, but Joshua spent that night among the people.

10 Joshua arose early in the morning and mustered the people and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And n all the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 He took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. 13 So they stationed the forces, the main encampment that was north of the city and its rear guard west of the city. But Joshua spent that night in the valley. 14 And as soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the men of the city, hurried and went out early to the appointed place 1 toward o the Arabah to meet Israel in battle. p But he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel q pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness. 16 So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they r were drawn away from the city. 17 Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, s "Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city. 19 And the men in the ambush rose quickly out of their place, and as soon as he had stretched out his hand, they ran and entered the city and captured it. And they hurried to set the city on fire. 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had captured the city, and that the smoke of the city went up, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the others came out from the city against them, so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side. And Israel struck them down, until there was t left none that survived or escaped. 23 But the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him near to Joshua.

24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the edge of the sword. 25 And all who fell that day, both men and women, were 12,000, all the people of Ai. 26 But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he u stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction. 2 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he v commanded Joshua. 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a w heap of ruins, as it is to this day. 29 x And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening. y And at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree and threw it at the entrance of the gate of the city and z raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.

  1. Cross References
    Joshua 1:9
    Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.
    Joshua 10:25
    And Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous. For thus the Lord will do to all your enemies against whom you fight.
    Deuteronomy 1:21
    See, the Lord your God has set the land before you. Go up, take possession, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has told you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
    Deuteronomy 7:18
    You shall not be afraid of them but you shall remember what the Lord your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt.
    Deuteronomy 31:8
    It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.
  2. Cross References
    Joshua 2:24
    And they said to Joshua, "Truly the Lord has given all the land into our hands. And also, all the inhabitants of the land melt away because of us.
    Joshua 6:2
    And the Lord said to Joshua, "See, I have given Jericho into your hand, with its king and mighty men of valor.
  3. Cross References
    Joshua 6:21
    Then they devoted all in the city to destruction, both men and women, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys, with the edge of the sword.
  4. Cross References
    Joshua 8:27
    Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel took as their plunder, according to the word of the Lord that he commanded Joshua.
    Deuteronomy 20:14
    But the women and the little ones, the livestock, and everything else in the city, all its spoil, you shall take as plunder for yourselves. And you shall enjoy the spoil of your enemies, which the Lord your God has given you.
  5. Cross References
    Judges 20:29
    So Israel set men in ambush around Gibeah.
  6. Cross References
    Joshua 7:5
    And the men of Ai killed about thirty-six of their men and chased them before the gate as far as Shebarim and struck them at the descent. And the hearts of the people melted and became as water.
  7. Cross References
    Joshua 8:16
    So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
  8. Cross References
    2 Samuel 13:28
    Then Absalom commanded his servants, "Mark when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say to you, 'Strike Amnon,' then kill him. Do not fear; have I not commanded you? Be courageous and be valiant.
  9. Cross References
    Joshua 8:5
    And I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us just as before, we shall flee before them.
  10. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 1:1
    These are the words that Moses spoke to all Israel beyond the Jordan in the wilderness, in the Arabah opposite Suph, between Paran and Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab.
  11. Cross References
    Judges 20:34
    And there came against Gibeah 10,000 chosen men out of all Israel, and the battle was hard, but the Benjaminites did not know that disaster was close upon them.
  12. Cross References
    Judges 20:36
    So the people of Benjamin saw that they were defeated. The men of Israel gave ground to Benjamin, because they trusted the men in ambush whom they had set against Gibeah.
  13. Cross References
    Joshua 8:6
    And they will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city. For they will say, 'They are fleeing from us, just as before.' So we will flee before them.
  14. Cross References
    Joshua 8:26
    But Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the javelin until he had devoted all the inhabitants of Ai to destruction.
  15. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 7:2
    And when the Lord your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them.
  16. Cross References
    Joshua 8:18
    Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Stretch out the javelin that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand." And Joshua stretched out the javelin that was in his hand toward the city.
  17. Cross References
    Joshua 8:2
    And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.
  18. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 13:16
    You shall gather all its spoil into the midst of its open square and burn the city and all its spoil with fire, as a whole burnt offering to the Lord your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
  19. Cross References
    Joshua 10:26
    And afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.
  20. Cross References
    Deuteronomy 21:23
    His body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.
  21. Cross References
    Joshua 7:26
    And they raised over him a great heap of stones that remains to this day. Then the Lord turned from his burning anger. Therefore, to this day the name of that place is called the Valley of Achor.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
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