² Then the Lord said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered^(A) Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.

²⁴ He will give their kings^(A) into your hand,^(B) and you will wipe out their names from under heaven. No one will be able to stand up against you;^(C) you will destroy them.^(D)

Ai Destroyed

8 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid;^(A) do not be discouraged.^(B) Take the whole army^(C) with you, and go up and attack Ai.^(D) For I have delivered^(E) into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

²⁴ They said to Joshua, “The Lord has surely given the whole land into our hands;^(A) all the people are melting in fear^(B) because of us.”

⁹ and said to them, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear^(A) of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.

The Fall of Jericho

¹³ Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man^(A) standing in front of him with a drawn sword^(B) in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown^(C) to the ground^(D) in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord^[a] have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.”^(E) And Joshua did so.