Scriptures

Joshua chapter .viij.

¶ And the LORD said unto Iosua: fear not, nor dread: but take all the men of war with thee, and up and get thee to Ai. Behold I have given into thy hand, the king of Ai, and his people, his city and his land. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst unto Iericho and her king. Nevertheless the spoil and cattle thereof, ye shall take unto yourselves. But lay a watch unto the town on the backside thereof.
¶ And then Iosua arose and all the men of war, to go up unto Ai. And Iosua chose out thirty thousand men of war, and sent them by night. And he commanded them saying: See that ye lie await unto the town on the backside thereof. Go not very far from the city, and see that ye be all ready. And I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And when they come out against us, as at the first time, then will we flee before them. And they will come out after us, until we have plucked them away from the city. For they will say, they flee before us, as at the first time: for we will flee before them. Then shall ye rise up from lying await and destroy the city: For the LORD your God will deliver it into your hands. As soon therefore as ye have taken the city, see that ye set it on fire. According to the commandment of the LORD see that ye do, behold, I have charged you. And Iosua sent them forth, and they went to lie await, and lay between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Iosua lodged that night among the people. And he rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up, both he and the elders of Israel before the people, unto Ai. And all the men of war that were with him, went up and drew nye, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai, a valley being between them and Ai, and he took upon a five thousand men and put them to lie await, between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And he put the people even all the host, on the north side of the city, and the lyers await on the west. And Iosua went the same night into the midst of the valley. And when the king of Ai saw that they hasted and rose up early, then the people of the city went out against Israel, to battle, both the king and all his people, at a time appointed, even before the plain, and wist not that there were lyers await on the backside of the city. And Iosua and Israel were put to the worse before them, and fled toward the wilderness. And all the people of the town cried to follow after them. And they followed after Iosua till they were drawn away from the city: So that there was not a man left in Ai, or in Bethel, that went not out after Israel. And they left the city open and followed after Israel. Then the LORD said unto Iosua stretch out the buckler that is in thine hand toward Ai, for I have given thee it. And Iosua stretched out the buckler that was in his hand, toward the city. And the lyers await rose quickly out of their places, and ran, as soon as Iosua had stretched out his hand, and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set it on fire. And when the men of Ai looked back after them and saw. Behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven. And they had no place to flee either this way or that, for the people that fled to the wilderness turned back again upon the followers. And when Iosua and all Israel saw that the lyers await had taken the city and that the smoke of it ascended. They turned again and laid on the men of Ai. And the other issued out of the city against them. And so were they in the midst of Israel, these being on the one side of them, and the rest on the other. And they laid upon them, so that they let none either remain or escape.
¶ And the king of Ai they took alive and brought him to Iosua. And when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabiters of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness by which they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the Edge of the sword, until they were wasted. Then all Israel returned unto Ai and smote it with the edge of the sword. And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Iosua plucked not his hand back again which he stretched out with the buckler, until they had utterly destroyed all the inhabiters of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of the said city, Israel took unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD, which he commanded Iosua. And Iosua set Ai on fire and made it an heap for ever and a wilderness, even unto this day. And the king of Ai he hanged on tree, until evening. And as soon as the son was down, Iosua commanded and they took the carcass down off the tree, and cast it in the entering of the gate of the city, and cast thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
¶ Then Iosua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel, in mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, according as it is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of rough stone over which no tool of iron was lifted. And they sacrificed thereon burnt sacrifice, and offered peaceofferings. And he wrote there upon the stones the second law of Moses which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. And all Israel and the elders thereof, and their officers and judges stood, part on this side the ark, and part on that side, before the priests: that were Levites which bare the ark of the appointment of the LORD: as well the stranger, as they that were born among them: half of them on the forefront of the Mount of Garizim, and half of them on the forefront of mount Ebal: as Moses the servant of the LORD commanded, first to bless the people of Israel. And after that he read all the words of the law, both the blessing and cursing, according to all that is written in the book of the law: so that there was not one word of all that Moses commanded, which Iosua read not, before all the congregation of Israel, with women and children and the strangers that were among them.

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