Joshua 8:9-22

The Voice

⁹ The ambush force made its way into the hills and took a position between Bethel and Ai, while Joshua and the remaining fighters spent the night in the camp. ¹⁰ In the morning, Joshua rose early and roused the people, and he and the elders went on to Ai in front of the people. ¹¹ All the fighting men with him went up and moved in close to the city and set up camp in front and north of Ai, with a ravine between the camp and Ai. ¹² The other force, numbering about 5,000, remained hidden west of the city between Bethel and Ai. ¹³ With his forces situated with men to the north and west of the city, Joshua camped in the valley that night.

¹⁴ When the king of Ai arose the next morning and saw the Israelites lined up against him, he gathered his forces on the plain to bring the battle to Israel, not knowing that an ambush squad was hidden behind the city. ¹⁵ When the battle was joined, Joshua and the Israelites pretended they were defeated and once again were fleeing toward the wilderness. ¹⁶ All of the men of Ai came out to pursue them and were drawn farther and farther away from the city. ¹⁷ At last, not one man was left in Ai or Bethel, since all had gone out to pursue Israel, leaving the city open and defenseless.

Joshua raised his javelin toward the city; ¹⁹ and as he did so, the forces he had hidden in ambush rushed into the city, seizing it and setting it on fire.

^20-21 The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke rising from their city into the sky; and when Joshua saw that his ambush had been successful, he turned the fleeing Israelites around to crush the disheartened men of Ai. There was nowhere for the men of the city to retreat. Before them, the Israelites turned to attack; ²² behind them, the ambush force came out against them from the burning city. So they were surrounded on all sides by their attackers, who killed all of them,