The Message Bible MSG
The Latin Vulgate VUL
1 God said to Joshua, "Don't be timid and don't so much as hesitate. Take all your soldiers with you and go back to Ai. I have turned the king of Ai over to you - his people, his city, and his land.
1
dixit autem Dominus ad Iosue ne timeas neque formides tolle tecum omnem multitudinem pugnatorum et consurgens ascende in oppidum Ahi ecce tradidi in manu tua regem eius et populum urbemque et terram
2 "Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you may plunder its stuff and cattle to your heart's content. Set an ambush behind the city."
2
faciesque urbi Ahi et regi eius sicut fecisti Hiericho et regi illius praedam vero et omnia animantia diripietis vobis pone insidias urbi post eam
3 Joshua and all his soldiers got ready to march on Ai. Joshua chose thirty thousand men, tough, seasoned fighters, and sent them off at night
3
surrexitque Iosue et omnis exercitus bellatorum cum eo ut ascenderent in Ahi et electa triginta milia virorum fortium misit nocte
4 with these orders: "Look sharp now. Lie in ambush behind the city. Get as close as you can. Stay alert.
4
praecepitque eis dicens ponite insidias post civitatem nec longius recedatis et eritis omnes parati
5 I and the troops with me will approach the city head-on. When they come out to meet us just as before, we'll turn and run.
5
ego autem et reliqua multitudo quae mecum est accedemus ex adverso contra urbem cumque exierint contra nos sicut ante fecimus fugiemus et terga vertemus
6 They'll come after us, leaving the city. As we are off and running, they'll say, 'They're running away just like the first time.'
6
donec persequentes ab urbe longius protrahantur putabunt enim fugere nos sicut prius
7 That's your signal to spring from your ambush and take the city. God, your God, will hand it to you on a platter.
7
nobis ergo fugientibus et illis sequentibus consurgetis de insidiis et vastabitis civitatem tradetque eam Dominus Deus vester in manus vestras
8 Once you have the city, burn it down. God says it, you do it. Go to it. I've given you your orders."
8
cumque ceperitis succendite eam sic omnia facietis ut iussi
9 Joshua sent them off. They set their ambush and waited between Bethel and Ai, just west of Ai. Joshua spent the night with the people.
9
dimisitque eos et perrexerunt ad insidiarum locum sederuntque inter Bethel et Ahi ad occidentalem plagam urbis Ahi Iosue autem nocte illa in medio mansit populi
10 Joshua was up early in the morning and mustered his army. He and the leaders of Israel led the troops to Ai.
10
surgensque diluculo recensuit socios et ascendit cum senioribus in fronte exercitus vallatus auxilio pugnatorum
11 The whole army, fighting men all, marched right up within sight of the city and set camp on the north side of Ai. There was a valley between them and Ai.
11
cumque venissent et ascendissent ex adverso civitatis steterunt ad septentrionalem urbis plagam inter quam et eos vallis media erat
12 He had taken about five thousand men and put them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, west of the city.
12
quinque milia autem viros elegerat et posuerat in insidiis inter Bethaven et Ahi ex occidentali parte eiusdem civitatis
13 They were all deployed, the main army to the north of the city and the ambush to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley.
13
omnis vero reliquus exercitus ad aquilonem aciem dirigebat ita ut novissimi multitudinis occidentalem plagam urbis adtingerent abiit ergo Iosue nocte illa et stetit in vallis medio
14 So it happened that when the king of Ai saw all this, the men of the city lost no time; they were out of there at the crack of dawn to join Israel in battle, the king and his troops, at a field en route to the Arabah. The king didn't know of the ambush set against him behind the city.
14
quod cum vidisset rex Ahi festinavit mane et egressus est cum omni exercitu civitatis direxitque aciem contra desertum ignorans quod post tergum laterent insidiae
15 Joshua and all Israel let themselves be chased; they ran toward the wilderness.
15
Iosue vero et omnis Israhel cesserunt loco simulantes metum et fugientes per viam solitudinis
16 Everybody in the city was called to the chase. They pursued Joshua and were led away from the city.
16
at illi vociferantes pariter et se mutuo cohortantes persecuti sunt eos cumque recessissent a civitate
17 There wasn't a soul left in Ai or Bethel who wasn't out there chasing after Israel. The city was left empty and undefended as they were chasing Israel down.
17
et ne unus quidem in urbe Ahi et Bethel remansisset qui non persequeretur Israhel sicut eruperant aperta oppida relinquentes
18 Then God spoke to Joshua: "Stretch out the javelin in your hand toward Ai - I'm giving it to you." Joshua stretched out the javelin in his hand toward Ai.
18
dixit Dominus ad Iosue leva clypeum qui in manu tua est contra urbem Ahi quoniam tibi tradam eam
19 At the signal the men in ambush sprang to their feet, ran to the city, took it, and quickly had it up in flames.
19
cumque elevasset clypeum ex adverso civitatis insidiae quae latebant surrexerunt confestim et pergentes ad civitatem ceperunt et succenderunt eam
20 The men of Ai looked back and, oh! saw the city going up in smoke. They found themselves trapped with nowhere to run.
20
viri autem civitatis qui persequebantur Iosue respicientes et videntes fumum urbis ad caelum usque conscendere non potuerunt ultra huc illucque diffugere praesertim cum hii qui simulaverant fugam et tendebant ad solitudinem contra persequentes fortissime restitissent
21 The army on the run toward the wilderness did an about-face - Joshua and all Israel, seeing that the ambush had taken the city, saw it going up in smoke, turned and attacked the men of Ai.
21
vidensque Iosue et omnis Israhel quod capta esset civitas et fumus urbis ascenderet reversus percussit viros Ahi
22 Then the men in the ambush poured out of the city. The men of Ai were caught in the middle with Israelites on both sides - a real massacre. And not a single survivor.
22
siquidem et illi qui ceperant et succenderant civitatem egressi ex urbe contra suos medios hostium ferire coeperunt cum ergo ex utraque parte adversarii caederentur ita ut nullus de tanta multitudine salvaretur
23 Except for the king of Ai; they took him alive and brought him to Joshua.
23
regem quoque urbis Ahi adprehendere viventem et obtulerunt Iosue
24 When it was all over, Israel had killed everyone in Ai, whether in the fields or in the wilderness where they had chased them. When the killing was complete, the Israelites returned to Ai and completed the devastation.
24
igitur omnibus interfectis qui Israhelem ad deserta tendentem fuerant persecuti et in eodem loco gladio corruentibus reversi filii Israhel percusserunt civitatem
25 The death toll that day came to 12,000 men and women - everyone in Ai.
25
erant autem qui in eo die conciderant a viro usque ad mulierem duodecim milia hominum omnes urbis Ahi
26 Joshua didn't lower his outstretched javelin until the sacred destruction of Ai and all its people was completed.
26
Iosue vero non contraxit manum quam in sublime porrexerat tenens clypeum donec interficerentur omnes habitatores Ahi
27 Israel did get to take the livestock and loot left in the city; God's instructions to Joshua allowed for that.
27
iumenta autem et praedam civitatis diviserunt sibi filii Israhel sicut praeceperat Dominus Iosue
28 Joshua burned Ai to the ground. A "heap" of nothing forever, a "no-place" - go see for yourself.
28
qui succendit urbem et fecit eam tumulum sempiternum
29 He hanged the king of Ai from a tree. At evening, with the sun going down, Joshua ordered the corpse cut down. They dumped it at the entrance to the city and piled it high with stones - you can go see that also.
29
regem quoque eius suspendit in patibulo usque ad vesperum et solis occasum praecepitque et deposuerunt cadaver eius de cruce proieceruntque in ipso introitu civitatis congesto super eum magno acervo lapidum qui permanet usque in praesentem diem
30 Then Joshua built an altar to the God of Israel on Mount Ebal.
30
tunc aedificavit Iosue altare Domino Deo Israhel in monte Hebal
31 He built it following the instructions of Moses the servant of God to the People of Israel and written in the Book of The Revelation of Moses, an altar of whole stones that hadn't been chiseled or shaped by an iron tool. On it they offered to God Whole-Burnt-Offerings and sacrificed Peace-Offerings.
31
sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini filiis Israhel et scriptum est in volumine legis Mosi altare de lapidibus inpolitis quos ferrum non tetigit et obtulit super eo holocausta Domino immolavitque pacificas victimas
32 He also wrote out a copy of The Revelation of Moses on the stones. He wrote it with the People of Israel looking on.
32
et scripsit super lapides deuteronomium legis Mosi quod ille digesserat coram filiis Israhel
33 All Israel was there, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, standing on opposite sides of the Chest, facing the Levitical priests who carry God's Covenant Chest. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and half with their backs to Mount Ebal to bless the People of Israel, just as Moses the servant of God had instructed earlier.
33
omnis autem populus et maiores natu ducesque ac iudices stabant ex utraque parte arcae in conspectu sacerdotum qui portabant arcam foederis Domini ut advena ita et indigena media eorum pars iuxta montem Garizim et media iuxta montem Hebal sicut praeceperat Moses famulus Domini et primum quidem benedixit populo Israhel
34 After that, he read out everything written in The Revelation, the Blessing and the Curse, everything in the Book of The Revelation.
34
post haec legit omnia verba benedictionis et maledictionis et cuncta quae scripta erant in legis volumine
35 There wasn't a word of all that Moses commanded that Joshua didn't read to the entire congregation - men, women, children, and foreigners who had been with them on the journey.
35
nihil ex his quae Moses iusserat reliquit intactum sed universa replicavit coram omni multitudine Israhel mulieribus ac parvulis et advenis qui inter eos morabantur
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.