¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin^(A) that is in your hand,^(B) for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand.^{(C) 19} As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly^(D) from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.^(E)

²⁰ The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky,^(F) but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers.