Joshua 8:1-13 ▼

1 The 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.

2 Do 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.|

3 So 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,

4 telling 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.

5 I 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.

6 They'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,

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

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

9 So 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.

10 In 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.

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

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

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