Joshua 8:8-18

8 After you have taken the city, set it on fire, just as the Lord has commanded. These are your orders."
9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.
10 Early in the morning Joshua got up and called the soldiers together. Then he and the leaders of Israel led them to Ai.
11 The soldiers with him went toward the main entrance to the city and set up camp on the north side, with a valley between themselves and Ai.
12 He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.
13 The soldiers were arranged for battle with the main camp north of the city and the rest of the men to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley.
14 When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear.
15 Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country.
16 All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city.
17 Every man in Ai went after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open, with no one to defend it.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, "Point your spear at Ai; I am giving it to you." Joshua did as he was told,

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [One ancient translation] Ai; [Hebrew] Ai and Bethel.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.