² The Philistines drew up in line against Israel, and when the battle was joined,^[a] Israel was defeated by the Philistines, who killed about four thousand men on the field of battle.

²¹ Israel and the Philistines drew up for battle, army against army.

⁸ He stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, “Why have you come out to draw up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not servants of Saul? Choose^[a] a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me.^(A)

¹² Therefore the Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they turn their backs to their enemies because they have become a thing devoted for destruction themselves. I will be with you no more unless you destroy the devoted things from among you.

⁵ The men of Ai killed about thirty-six of them, chasing them from outside the gate as far as Shebarim and killing them on the slope. The hearts of the people melted and turned to water.

⁶ Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell to the ground on his face before the ark of the Lord until the evening, he and the elders of Israel, and they put dust on their heads.^{(A) 7} Joshua said, “Ah, Lord God! Why have you brought this people across the Jordan at all, to hand us over to the Amorites so as to destroy us? Would that we had been content to settle beyond the Jordan!^{(B) 8} O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned their backs to their enemies!