Joshua 8:4-12

Legacy Standard Bible

⁴ And he commanded them, saying, “See, you are ^(A)going to ambush the city from behind ^[a]it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. ⁵ Then I and all the people who are with me will come near the city. And it will be that when they come out to meet us as at the first, ^(B)we will flee before them. ⁶ And they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us as at the first.’ So we will flee before them. ⁷ And you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for Yahweh your God will give it into your hand. ⁸ Then it will be that when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it ^(C)according to the word of Yahweh. See, I have commanded you.” ⁹ So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

¹⁰ Now Joshua ^(D)rose early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai. ¹¹ Then all the people of war who were with him went up and drew near and arrived in front of the city and camped on the north side of Ai. Now there was a valley between him and Ai. ¹² And he took about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between ^(E)Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the ^[b]city.