Joshua 8:10-17

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁰ In the morning Joshua rose early and mustered the people and went up, with the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.^{(A) 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.^{(B) 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^[a] who did not go out after Israel; they left the city open and pursued Israel.