Joshua 8 ISV NIV Parallel

◄ Joshua 8 ►

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1The LORD then told Joshua, "Don't be afraid or lose heart! Take all the fighting men with you, and go up right now to Ai. Take note that I have handed over the king of Ai into your control, along with his people, his city, and his land.

1Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. For I have delivered into your hands the king of Ai, his people, his city and his land.

2Do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but take its spoil and its livestock as war booty for yourselves. Set an ambush around the city."

2You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

3So Joshua and all of the fighting men prepared to go out against Ai. Joshua selected 30,000 valiant warriors and sent them out by night,

3So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night

4telling them, "Pay attention now! You are to set up an ambush around the city. Don't go very far from the city, and all of you remain on alert.

4with these orders: "Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don't go very far from it. All of you be on the alert.

5I and all of the army with me will advance upon the city. When they come out after us like they did before, we'll run away from them.

5I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them.

6They'll come after us until we've drawn them away from the city, because they'll say, 'They're running away from us just like they did before.' While we're running away from them,

6They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, 'They are running away from us as they did before.' So when we flee from them,

7you get up from the ambush and seize the city, because the LORD your God will give it into your control.

7you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The LORD your God will give it into your hand.

8When you've taken the city, set it on fire, just as the LORD ordered. Look! These are your orders!"

8When you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do what the LORD has commanded. See to it; you have my orders."

9So Joshua sent them out, and they set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. Joshua spent that night in the camp among the army.

9Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai--but Joshua spent that night with the people.

10In the morning, Joshua got up early, mustered his army, and set off for Ai, accompanied by the elders of Israel in full view of the army.

10Early the next morning Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched before them to Ai.

11The entire fighting force with him attacked, approaching the city, and camped on the north side of Ai, with a ravine between them and Ai.

11The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city.

12Taking about 5,000 men, he set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai to the west of the city,

12Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

13stationing their forces with its main encampment north of the city and its rear guard to the west. Joshua spent that night in the valley.

13So the soldiers took up their positions--with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley.

14When the king of Ai saw what had happened, he and his army quickly got up early and went out to meet Israel in battle. He and all his people met at the place adjacent to the desert plain. But he didn't know about the ambush that had been set for him on the other side of the city.

14When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set against him behind the city.

15Because Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel pretended to lose the battle by running away in front of them toward the wilderness,

15Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.

16everyone in the city followed after them. As they pursued Joshua, they were drawn away from the town.

16All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.

17There wasn't a single man left in Ai or Bethel who didn't run out after Israel. They left the city open and pursued Israel.

17Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.

18Then the LORD told Joshua, "Stretch out the battle lance that's in your hand toward Ai, because I will give it into your control." So Joshua stretched out the battle lance that was in his hand toward the city.

18Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand, for into your hand I will deliver the city." So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand.

19As soon as he stretched out his hand, the troops in ambush quickly got up from their place of hiding and attacked. They entered the city, seized it, and immediately set it on fire.

19As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.

20Then the men of Ai looked back behind them—and all of a sudden!—smoke from the city was rising into the sky. They were unable to run in any direction, because the Israelis who had fled toward the wilderness had turned around to attack their pursuers.

20The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky, 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.

21When Joshua and the entire fighting force of Israel observed that the men who had been in ambush had seized the city and that the smoke from the city was rising, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai.

21For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai.

22Then the others came out from the city against them, so the men of Ai were surrounded by the Israelis, some on one side and some on the other. Israel attacked them until no one was left to survive or escape.

22Those 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.

23But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua.

23But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

24When Israel had completed executing all of the residents of Ai in the open wilderness where they had chased them, and after all of them—to the very last of them—had been killed by swords, the entire fighting force of Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with swords.

24When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it.

25The total of all who fell that day, including men and women, was 12,000—the entire population of Ai.

25Twelve thousand men and women fell that day--all the people of Ai.

26Joshua did not cease his attack until he had completely destroyed every inhabitant of Ai.

26For Joshua did not draw back the hand that held out his javelin until he had destroyed all who lived in Ai.

27Israel took only the livestock and the spoil of that city as their war booty, in accordance with what the LORD had commanded to Joshua.

27But Israel did carry off for themselves the livestock and plunder of this city, as the LORD had instructed Joshua.

28Joshua burned Ai, turning it into a permanent mound of ruins, and it remains so to this day.

28So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolate place to this day.

29He hanged the king of Ai on a tree until dusk, and at sunset Joshua ordered his body brought down from the tree and laid at the entrance to the gate of the town. There he raised over it a large mound of stones, which stands there to this day.

29He impaled the body of the king of Ai on a pole and left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered them to take the body from the pole and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And they raised a large pile of rocks over it, which remains to this day.

30Then Joshua built an altar to the LORD God of Israel, on Mount Ebal,

30Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the LORD, the God of Israel,

31just the way Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelis in the Book of the Law of Moses: "…an altar of uncut stones that hasn't been worked with iron tools…" and they offered burnt offerings to the LORD on it, along with peace offerings.

31as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses--an altar of uncut stones, on which no iron tool had been used. On it they offered to the LORD burnt offerings and sacrificed fellowship offerings.

32There Joshua inscribed on stones a copy of the Law of Moses that Moses had presented to the Israelis.

32There, in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua wrote on stones a copy of the law of Moses.

33All Israel, both foreigners and citizens, together with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on opposite sides of the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD. Half stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half stood in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the LORD's servant had commanded at the first, so that they could bless the people of Israel.

33All the Israelites, with their elders, officials and judges, were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD, facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Both the foreigners living among them and the native-born were there. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had formerly commanded when he gave instructions to bless the people of Israel.

34Afterwards, Joshua read all the words of the Law—both the blessings and the curses—according to everything written in the Book of the Law.

34Afterward, Joshua read all the words of the law--the blessings and the curses--just as it is written in the Book of the Law.

35There wasn't one word of everything Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read in front of the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, their little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.

35There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read to the whole assembly of Israel, including the women and children, and the foreigners who lived among them.

New International Version (NIV)

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