Joshua 8:5-14

Common English Bible

⁵ I will approach the city with all the people. When they come out against us the same way as before, we will flee from them. ⁶ They will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city. They will think, They are fleeing from us as before. So we will flee from them. ⁷ But you will rise up from the ambush and take over the city. The Lord your God will give it into your power. ⁸ As soon as you seize the city, set it on fire. Act according to the Lord’s word. Indeed, I have given you an order!”

⁹ Joshua sent them off, and they went to set the ambush. They stayed between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night among the people. ¹⁰ Joshua got up early in the morning and mustered the people. Then he and the elders of Israel went up in front of the people to Ai. ¹¹ The entire army that was with him went up. They moved in close, in front of the city. Then they camped north of Ai, with the valley between them and Ai. ¹² He took about five thousand men and positioned them as an ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city. ¹³ The people positioned the main camp on the north side of the city and its rear guard on its west side. That night, Joshua went into the middle of the valley.

Israel’s successful strategy

¹⁴ As soon as the king of Ai saw this, he and all his troops, the men of the city, hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle. They moved out to the battleground on the slopes down toward the Jordan.^[a] He didn’t know that there was an ambush set against him behind the city.