Joshua 8-10
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Ai Captured by a Stratagem and Destroyed
8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear or be dismayed; take all the fighting men with you, and go up to Ai. See, I have handed over to you the king of Ai with his people, his city, and his land.(A) 2 You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may take its spoil and plunder its livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city, behind it.”(B)
3 So Joshua and all the fighting men set out to go up against Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand warriors and sent them out by night 4 with the command, “You shall lie in ambush against the city, behind it; do not go very far from the city, but all of you stay alert.(C) 5 I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us, as before, we will flee from them. 6 They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as before.’ While we flee from them, 7 you shall rise up from the ambush and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand. 8 And when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire, doing as the Lord has ordered; see, I have commanded you.”(D) 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 with the people.[a]
10 In the morning Joshua rose early and mustered the people and went up, with the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.(E) 11 All the fighting men who were with him went up and drew near before the city and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai. 12 Taking about five thousand men, he 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, and Joshua went that night into the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw this, he and all his people, the inhabitants of the city, hurried out early in the morning to the meeting place facing the Arabah to meet Israel in battle, but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.(F) 15 And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being 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 were drawn away from the city. 17 There was not a man left in Ai[b] who did not go out after Israel; they left the city open and pursued Israel.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Stretch out the sword that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will give it into your hand.” And Joshua stretched out the sword that was in his hand toward the city.(G) 19 As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush rose quickly out of their place and rushed forward. They entered the city, took it, and at once set the city on fire.(H) 20 So when the men of Ai looked back, the smoke of the city was rising to the sky. They had no power to flee this way or that, for the people who fled to the wilderness turned back against the pursuers. 21 When Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that the smoke of the city was rising, then they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. 22 And the other Israelites came out from the city against them, so they were surrounded by Israelites, some on one side and some on the other, and Israel struck them down until no one was left who survived or escaped.(I) 23 But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua.
24 When Israel had finished killing all the inhabitants of Ai in the open wilderness where they pursued them, and when all of them to the very last had fallen by the edge of the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with the edge of the sword. 25 The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand—all the people of Ai.(J) 26 For Joshua did not draw back his hand with which he stretched out the sword until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.(K) 27 Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel plundered for themselves, according to the word of the Lord that he had issued to Joshua.(L) 28 So Joshua burned Ai and made it forever a heap of ruins, as it is to this day.(M) 29 And he hanged the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded, and they took his body down from the tree, threw it down at the entrance of the gate of the city, and raised over it a great heap of stones, which stands there to this day.(N)
Joshua Renews the Covenant
30 [c]Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel,(O) 31 just as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded the Israelites, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, “an altar of unhewn[d] stones, on which no iron tool has been used,” and they offered on it burnt offerings to the Lord and sacrificed offerings of well-being.(P) 32 And there, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua[e] wrote on the stones a copy of the law of Moses that he had written.(Q) 33 All Israel, alien as well as native-born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark in front of the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded earlier, that they should bless the people of Israel.(R) 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, blessings and curses, according to all that is written in the book of the law.(S) 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the little ones, and the aliens who resided among them.(T)
The Gibeonites Save Themselves by Trickery
9 Now when all the kings who were beyond the Jordan in the hill country and in the lowland all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon—the Hittites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites—heard of this,(U) 2 they gathered together with one accord to fight Joshua and Israel.
3 But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and to Ai,(V) 4 they on their part acted with cunning: they went and prepared provisions[f] and took worn-out sacks for their donkeys and wineskins, worn out and torn and mended, 5 with worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and worn-out clothes, and all their provisions were dry and moldy. 6 They went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and to the Israelites, “We have come from a far country, so now make a treaty with us.”(W) 7 But the Israelites said to the Hivites, “Perhaps you live among us; then how can we make a treaty with you?”(X) 8 They said to Joshua, “We are your servants.” And Joshua said to them, “Who are you? And where do you come from?”(Y) 9 They said to him, “Your servants have come from a very far country because of the name of the Lord your God, for we have heard a report of him, of all that he did in Egypt(Z) 10 and of all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, King Sihon of Heshbon and King Og of Bashan who lived in Ashtaroth.(AA) 11 So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us, ‘Take provisions in your hand for the journey; go to meet them, and say to them, “We are your servants; come now, make a treaty with us.” ’ 12 Here is our bread; it was still warm when we took it from our houses as our food for the journey, on the day we set out to come to you, but now, see, it is dry and moldy; 13 these wineskins were new when we filled them, and see, they are burst, and these garments and sandals of ours are worn out from the very long journey.” 14 So the leaders[g] partook of their provisions and did not ask direction from the Lord.(AB) 15 And Joshua made peace with them, guaranteeing their lives by a treaty, and the leaders of the congregation swore an oath to them.(AC)
16 But when three days had passed after they had made a treaty with them, they heard that they were their neighbors and were living among them. 17 So the Israelites set out and reached their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.(AD) 18 But the Israelites did not attack them because the leaders of the congregation had sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel. Then all the congregation murmured against the leaders.(AE) 19 But all the leaders said to all the congregation, “We have sworn to them by the Lord, the God of Israel, and now we must not touch them. 20 This is what we will do to them: we will let them live, so that wrath may not come upon us, because of the oath that we swore to them.” 21 The leaders said to them, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and drawers of water for all the congregation, as the leaders had decided concerning them.(AF)
22 Joshua summoned them and said to them, “Why did you deceive us, saying, ‘We are very far from you,’ while in fact you are living among us?(AG) 23 Now, therefore, you are cursed, and some of you shall always be slaves, woodcutters and drawers of water for the house of my God.”(AH) 24 They answered Joshua, “Because it was told to your servants for a certainty that the Lord your God had commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, so we were in great fear for our lives because of you and did this thing.(AI) 25 And now we are in your hand: do as it seems good and right in your sight to do to us.”(AJ) 26 This is what he did for them: he saved them from the Israelites, and they did not kill them. 27 But on that day Joshua made them woodcutters and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the Lord, to continue to this day, in the place that he should choose.(AK)
The Sun Stands Still
10 When King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem heard how Joshua had taken Ai and had utterly destroyed it, doing to Ai and its king as he had done to Jericho and its king, and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were among them,(AL) 2 he[h] became greatly frightened, because Gibeon was a large city, like one of the royal cities, and was larger than Ai, and all its men were warriors. 3 So King Adoni-zedek of Jerusalem sent a message to King Hoham of Hebron, to King Piram of Jarmuth, to King Japhia of Lachish, and to King Debir of Eglon, saying, 4 “Come up and help me, and let us attack Gibeon, for it has made peace with Joshua and with the Israelites.”(AM) 5 Then the five kings of the Amorites—the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon—gathered their forces and went up with all their armies and camped against Gibeon and made war against it.(AN)
6 And the Gibeonites sent to Joshua at the camp in Gilgal, saying, “Do not abandon your servants; come up to us quickly and save us and help us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country are gathered against us.” 7 So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the fighting force with him, all the mighty warriors. 8 The Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them, for I have handed them over to you; not one of them shall stand before you.”(AO) 9 So Joshua came upon them suddenly, having marched up all night from Gilgal. 10 And the Lord threw them into a panic before Israel, who inflicted a crushing blow on them at Gibeon, chased them by the way of the ascent of Beth-horon, and struck them down as far as Azekah and Makkedah.(AP) 11 As they fled before Israel, while they were going down the slope of Beth-horon, the Lord threw down huge stones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died; there were more who died because of the hailstones than the Israelites killed with the sword.(AQ)
12 On the day when the Lord gave the Amorites over to the Israelites, Joshua spoke to the Lord, and he said in the sight of Israel,
“Sun, stand still at Gibeon,
and Moon, in the valley of Aijalon.”(AR)
13 And the sun stood still, and the moon stopped
until the nation took vengeance on their enemies.
Is this not written in the Book of Jashar? The sun stopped in midheaven and did not hurry to set for about a whole day.(AS) 14 There has been no day like it before or since, when the Lord heeded a human voice, for the Lord fought for Israel.(AT)
15 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.(AU)
Five Kings Defeated
16 Meanwhile, these five kings fled and hid themselves in the cave at Makkedah.(AV) 17 And it was told Joshua, “The five kings have been found, hidden in the cave at Makkedah.” 18 Joshua said, “Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and set men by it to guard them, 19 but do not stay there yourselves; pursue your enemies and attack them from the rear. Do not let them enter their towns, for the Lord your God has given them into your hand.” 20 When Joshua and the Israelites had finished inflicting a very great blow on them, until they were wiped out, and when the survivors had entered into the fortified towns,(AW) 21 all the people returned safe to Joshua in the camp at Makkedah; no one dared to speak[i] against any of the Israelites.(AX)
22 Then Joshua said, “Open the mouth of the cave and bring those five kings out to me from the cave.”(AY) 23 They did so and brought the five kings out to him from the cave, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. 24 When they brought the kings out to Joshua, Joshua summoned all the Israelites and said to the chiefs of the warriors who had gone with him, “Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings.” Then they came near and put their feet on their necks.(AZ) 25 And Joshua said to them, “Do not be afraid or dismayed; be strong and courageous, for thus the Lord will do to all the enemies against whom you fight.”(BA) 26 Afterward Joshua struck them down and put them to death, and he hung them on five trees. And they hung on the trees until evening.(BB) 27 At sunset Joshua commanded, and they took them down from the trees and threw them into the cave where they had hidden themselves; they set large stones against the mouth of the cave that remain to this very day.(BC)
28 Joshua took Makkedah on that day and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed every person in it; he left no one remaining. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.(BD)
29 Then Joshua passed on from Makkedah, and all Israel with him, to Libnah and fought against Libnah.(BE) 30 The Lord gave it also and its king into the hand of Israel, and he struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it; he left no one remaining in it, and he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Next Joshua passed on from Libnah, and all Israel with him, to Lachish and laid siege to it and assaulted it.(BF) 32 The Lord gave Lachish into the hand of Israel, and he took it on the second day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it, as he had done to Libnah.
33 Then King Horam of Gezer came up to help Lachish, and Joshua struck him and his people, leaving him no survivors.
34 From Lachish Joshua passed on with all Israel to Eglon, and they laid siege to it and assaulted it, 35 and they took it that day and struck it with the edge of the sword, and every person in it he utterly destroyed that day, as he had done to Lachish.
36 Then Joshua went up with all Israel from Eglon to Hebron; they assaulted it(BG) 37 and took it and struck it with the edge of the sword, and its king and its towns and every person in it; he left no one remaining, just as he had done to Eglon, and utterly destroyed it with every person in it.
38 Then Joshua, with all Israel, turned back to Debir and assaulted it,(BH) 39 and he took it with its king and all its towns; they struck them with the edge of the sword and utterly destroyed every person in it; he left no one remaining; just as he had done to Hebron and as he had done to Libnah and its king, so he did to Debir and its king.
40 So Joshua defeated the whole land, the hill country and the Negeb and the lowland and the slopes and all their kings; he left no one remaining but utterly destroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded.(BI) 41 And Joshua defeated them from Kadesh-barnea to Gaza and all the country of Goshen, as far as Gibeon.(BJ) 42 Joshua took all these kings and their land at one time because the Lord God of Israel fought for Israel.(BK) 43 Then Joshua returned, and all Israel with him, to the camp at Gilgal.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.