³³ All the men of Israel moved from their places and took up positions at Baal Tamar, and the Israelite ambush charged out of its place^(A) on the west^[a] of Gibeah.^[b]

¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin^(A) that is in your hand,^(B) for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand.^{(C) 19} As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly^(D) from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.^(E)

²⁰ The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky,^(F) but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. ²¹ For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around^(G) and attacked the men of Ai. ²² Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives.^(H)