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Joshua
Chapters: 1 2
3 4 5
6 7 8
1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying:
2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them--the children of Israel.
3 Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you, as I said to Moses.
4 From the wilderness and this Lebanon as far as the great river, the River Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and to the Great Sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your territory.
5 No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.
6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
10 Then Joshua commanded the officers of the people, saying,
11 "Pass through the camp and command the people, saying, 'Prepare provisions for yourselves, for within three days you will cross over this Jordan, to go in to possess the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess.' "
12 And to the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying,
13 "Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, 'The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.'
14 "Your wives, your little ones, and your livestock shall remain in the land which Moses gave you on this side of the Jordan. But you shall pass before your brethren armed, all your mighty men of valor, and help them,
15 until the LORD has given your brethren rest, as He gave you, and they also have taken possession of the land which the LORD your God is giving them. Then you shall return to the land of your possession and enjoy it, which Moses the LORD's servant gave you on this side of the Jordan toward the sunrise."
16 And they answered Joshua, saying, "All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. 17 Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you. Only the LORD your God be with you, as He was with Moses. 18 Whoever rebels against your command and does not heed your words, in all that you command him, shall be put to death. Only be strong and of good courage."
| And Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two
men to spy secretly, saying, Go view the land, even Jericho. And they
went, and came into an harlot's house, named Rahab, and lodged there. |
| And it was told the king of Jericho, saying, Behold,
there came men in hither to night of the children of Israel to search
out the country. |
| And the king of Jericho sent unto Rahab, saying,
Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine
house: for they be come to search out all the country. |
| And the woman took the two men, and hid them, and
said thus, There came men unto me, but I wist not whence they were: |
| And it came to pass about the time of shutting of
the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out: whither the men went
I wot not: pursue after them quickly; for ye shall overtake them. |
| But she had brought them up to the roof of the
house, and hid them with the stalks of flax, which she had laid in order
upon the roof. |
| And the men pursued after them the way to Jordan
unto the fords: and as soon as they which pursued after them were gone
out, they shut the gate. |
| And before they were laid down, she came up unto
them upon the roof; |
| And she said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath
given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all
the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. |
| For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of
the Red sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what ye did unto the
two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and
Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. |
| And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts
did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because
of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth
beneath. |
| Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the
LORD, since I have showed you kindness, that ye will also show kindness
unto my father's house, and give me a true token: |
| And that ye will save alive my father, and my
mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have, and
deliver our lives from death. |
| And the men answered her, Our life for yours, if ye
utter not this our business. And it shall be, when the LORD hath given
us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with thee. |
| Then she let them down by a cord through the window:
for her house was upon the town wall, and she dwelt upon the wall. |
| And she said unto them, Get you to the mountain,
lest the pursuers meet you; and hide yourselves there three days, until
the pursuers be returned: and afterward may ye go your way. |
| And the men said unto her, We will be blameless of
this thine oath which thou hast made us swear. |
| Behold, when we come into the land, thou shalt bind
this line of scarlet thread in the window which thou didst let us down
by: and thou shalt bring thy father, and thy mother, and thy brethren,
and all thy father's household, home unto thee. |
| And it shall be, that whosoever shall go out of the
doors of thy house into the street, his blood shall be upon his head,
and we will be guiltless: and whosoever shall be with thee in the house,
his blood shall be on our head, if any hand be upon him. |
| And if thou utter this our business, then we will be
quit of thine oath which thou hast made us to swear. |
| And she said, According unto your words, so be it.
And she sent them away, and they departed: and she bound the scarlet
line in the window. |
| And they went, and came unto the mountain, and abode
there three days, until the pursuers were returned: and the pursuers
sought them throughout all the way, but found them not. |
| So the two men returned, and descended from the
mountain, and passed over, and came to Joshua the son of Nun, and told
him all things that befell them: |
| And they said unto Joshua, Truly the LORD hath
delivered into our hands all the land; for even all the inhabitants of
the country do faint because of us. |
| And Joshua rose early in the morning; and they
removed from Shittim, and came to Jordan, he and all the children of
Israel, and lodged there before they passed over. |
| And it came to pass after three days, that the
officers went through the host; |
| And they commanded the people, saying, When ye see
the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the
Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after
it. |
| Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about
two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know
the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore. |
| And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify
yourselves: for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you. |
| And Joshua spake unto the priests, saying, Take up
the ark of the covenant, and pass over before the people. And they took
up the ark of the covenant, and went before the people. |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day will I begin
to magnify thee in the sight of all Israel, that they may know that, as
I was with Moses, so I will be with thee. |
| And thou shalt command the priests that bear the ark
of the covenant, saying, When ye are come to the brink of the water of
Jordan, ye shall stand still in Jordan. |
| And Joshua said unto the children of Israel, Come
hither, and hear the words of the LORD your God. |
| And Joshua said, Hereby ye shall know that the
living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive out from
before you the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the
Perizzites, and the Girgashites, and the Amorites, and the Jebusites. |
| Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all
the earth passeth over before you into Jordan. |
| Now therefore take you twelve men out of the tribes
of Israel, out of every tribe a man. |
| And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of
the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the LORD, the Lord of all
the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan
shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they
shall stand upon an heap. |
| And it came to pass, when the people removed from
their tents, to pass over Jordan, and the priests bearing the ark of the
covenant before the people; |
| And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan,
and the feet of the priests that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of
the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of
harvest,) |
| That the waters which came down from above stood and
rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan:
and those that came down toward the sea of the plain, even the salt sea,
failed, and were cut off: and the people passed over right against
Jericho. |
| And the priests that bare the ark of the covenant of
the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the midst of Jordan, and all the
Israelites passed over on dry ground, until all the people were passed
clean over Jordan. |
| And it came to pass, when all the people were clean
passed over Jordan, that the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, |
| Take you twelve men out of the people, out of every
tribe a man, |
| And command ye them, saying, Take you hence out of
the midst of Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood
firm, twelve stones, and ye shall carry them over with you, and leave
them in the lodging place, where ye shall lodge this night. |
| Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had
prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man: |
| And Joshua said unto them, Pass over before the ark
of the LORD your God into the midst of Jordan, and take you up every man
of you a stone upon his shoulder, according unto the number of the
tribes of the children of Israel: |
| That this may be a sign among you, that when your
children ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What mean ye by
these stones? |
| Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan
were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed
over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall
be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever. |
| And the children of Israel did so as Joshua
commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the
LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the
children of Israel, and carried them over with them unto the place where
they lodged, and laid them down there. |
| And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of
Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of
the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day. |
| For the priests which bare the ark stood in the
midst of Jordan, until every thing was finished that the LORD commanded
Joshua to speak unto the people, according to all that Moses commanded
Joshua: and the people hasted and passed over. |
| And it came to pass, when all the people were clean
passed over, that the ark of the LORD passed over, and the priests, in
the presence of the people. |
| And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad,
and half the tribe of Manasseh, passed over armed before the children of
Israel, as Moses spake unto them: |
| About forty thousand prepared for war passed over
before the LORD unto battle, to the plains of Jericho. |
| On that day the LORD magnified Joshua in the sight
of all Israel; and they feared him, as they feared Moses, all the days
of his life. |
| And the LORD spake unto Joshua, saying, |
| Command the priests that bear the ark of the
testimony, that they come up out of Jordan. |
| Joshua therefore commanded the priests, saying, Come
ye up out of Jordan. |
| And it came to pass, when the priests that bare the
ark of the covenant of the LORD were come up out of the midst of Jordan,
and the soles of the priests' feet were lifted up unto the dry land,
that the waters of Jordan returned unto their place, and flowed over all
his banks, as they did before. |
| And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth
day of the first month, and encamped in Gilgal, in the east border of
Jericho. |
| And those twelve stones, which they took out of
Jordan, did Joshua pitch in Gilgal. |
| And he spake unto the children of Israel, saying,
When your children shall ask their fathers in time to come, saying, What
mean these stones? |
| Then ye shall let your children know, saying, Israel
came over this Jordan on dry land. |
| For the LORD your God dried up the waters of Jordan
from before you, until ye were passed over, as the LORD your God did to
the Red sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over: |
| That all the people of the earth might know the hand
of the LORD, that it is mighty: that ye might fear the LORD your God for
ever. |
| And it came to pass, when all the kings of the
Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings
of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried
up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we
were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in
them any more, because of the children of Israel. |
| At that time the LORD said unto Joshua, Make thee
sharp knives, and circumcise again the children of Israel the second
time. |
| And Joshua made him sharp knives, and circumcised
the children of Israel at the hill of the foreskins. |
| And this is the cause why Joshua did circumcise: All
the people that came out of Egypt, that were males, even all the men of
war, died in the wilderness by the way, after they came out of Egypt. |
| Now all the people that came out were circumcised:
but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they
came forth out of Egypt, them they had not circumcised. |
| For the children of Israel walked forty years in the
wilderness, till all the people that were men of war, which came out of
Egypt, were consumed, because they obeyed not the voice of the LORD:
unto whom the LORD sware that he would not show them the land, which the
LORD sware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land that floweth
with milk and honey. |
| And their children, whom he raised up in their
stead, them Joshua circumcised: for they were uncircumcised, because
they had not circumcised them by the way. |
| And it came to pass, when they had done circumcising
all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they
were whole. |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I
rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of
the place is called Gilgal unto this day. |
| And the children of Israel encamped in Gilgal, and
kept the passover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the
plains of Jericho. |
| And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the
morrow after the passover, unleavened cakes, and parched corn in the
selfsame day. |
| And the manna ceased on the morrow after they had
eaten of the old corn of the land; neither had the children of Israel
manna any more; but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that
year. |
| And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho,
that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man
over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto
him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? |
| And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the
LORD am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did
worship, and said unto him, What saith my lord unto his servant? |
| And the captain of the LORD'S host said unto Joshua,
Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is
holy. And Joshua did so. |
| Now Jericho was straitly shut up because of the
children of Israel: none went out, and none came in. |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, See, I have given
into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of
valour. |
| And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war,
and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days. |
| And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven
trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city
seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets. |
| And it shall come to pass, that when they make a
long blast with the ram's horn, and when ye hear the sound of the
trumpet, all the people shall shout with a great shout; and the wall of
the city shall fall down flat, and the people shall ascend up every man
straight before him. |
| And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and
said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests
bear seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the LORD. |
| And he said unto the people, Pass on, and compass
the city, and let him that is armed pass on before the ark of the LORD. |
| And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the
people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams' horns
passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of
the covenant of the LORD followed them. |
| And the armed men went before the priests that blew
with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, the priests
going on, and blowing with the trumpets. |
| And Joshua had commanded the people, saying, Ye
shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any
word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then
shall ye shout. |
| So the ark of the LORD compassed the city, going
about it once: and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. |
| And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the
priests took up the ark of the LORD. |
| And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams'
horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the
trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came
after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the
trumpets. |
| And the second day they compassed the city once, and
returned into the camp: so they did six days. |
| And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they
rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after
the same manner seven times: only on that day they compassed the city
seven times. |
| And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the
priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for
the LORD hath given you the city. |
| And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all
that are therein, to the LORD: only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and
all that are with her in the house, because she hid the messengers that
we sent. |
| And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the
accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the
accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. |
| But all the silver, and gold, and vessels of brass
and iron, are consecrated unto the LORD: they shall come into the
treasury of the LORD. |
| So the people shouted when the priests blew with the
trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the
trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell
down flat, so that the people went up into the city, every man straight
before him, and they took the city. |
| And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city,
both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the
edge of the sword. |
| But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied
out the country, Go into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the
woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. |
| And the young men that were spies went in, and
brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and
all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them
without the camp of Israel. |
| And they burnt the city with fire, and all that was
therein: only the silver, and the gold, and the vessels of brass and of
iron, they put into the treasury of the house of the LORD. |
| And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her
father's household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel
even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to
spy out Jericho. |
| And Joshua adjured them at that time, saying, Cursed
be the man before the LORD, that riseth up and buildeth this city
Jericho: he shall lay the foundation thereof in his firstborn, and in
his youngest son shall he set up the gates of it. |
| So the LORD was with Joshua; and his fame was noised
throughout all the country. |
| But the children of Israel committed a trespass in
the accursed thing: for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the
son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accursed thing: and the
anger of the LORD was kindled against the children of Israel. |
| And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is
beside Bethaven, on the east side of Bethel, and spake unto them,
saying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and viewed Ai. |
| And they returned to Joshua, and said unto him, Let
not all the people go up; but let about two or three thousand men go up
and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour thither; for they
are but few. |
| So there went up thither of the people about three
thousand men: and they fled before the men of Ai. |
| And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty and six
men: for they chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim, and
smote them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of the people melted,
and became as water. |
| And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth
upon his face before the ark of the LORD until the eventide, he and the
elders of Israel, and put dust upon their heads. |
| And Joshua said, Alas, O Lord GOD, wherefore hast
thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand
of the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been content, and
dwelt on the other side Jordan! |
| O Lord, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their
backs before their enemies! |
| For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the
land shall hear of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our name
from the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great name? |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, Get thee up;
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? |
| Israel hath sinned, and they have also transgressed
my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the
accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have
put it even among their own stuff. |
| Therefore the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies,
because they were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except
ye destroy the accursed from among you. |
| Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify
yourselves against tomorrow: for thus saith the LORD God of Israel,
There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst
not stand before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing
from among you. |
| In the morning therefore ye shall be brought
according to your tribes: and it shall be, that the tribe which the LORD
taketh shall come according to the families thereof; and the family
which the LORD shall take shall come by households; and the household
which the LORD shall take shall come man by man. |
| And it shall be, that he that is taken with the
accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:
because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he
hath wrought folly in Israel. |
| So Joshua rose up early in the morning, and brought
Israel by their tribes; and the tribe of Judah was taken: |
| And he brought the family of Judah; and he took the
family of the Zarhites: and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by
man; and Zabdi was taken: |
| And he brought his household man by man; and Achan,
the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of
Judah, was taken. |
| And Joshua said unto Achan, My son, give, I pray
thee, glory to the LORD God of Israel, and make confession unto him; and
tell me now what thou hast done; hide it not from me. |
| And Achan answered Joshua, and said, Indeed I have
sinned against the LORD God of Israel, and thus and thus have I done: |
| When I saw among the spoils a goodly Babylonish
garment, and two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold of fifty
shekels weight, then I coveted them, and took them; and, behold, they
are hid in the earth in the midst of my tent, and the silver under it. |
| So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the
tent; and, behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. |
| And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and
brought them unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid
them out before the LORD. |
| And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the
son of Zerah, and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold,
and his sons, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his
sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the
valley of Achor. |
| And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD
shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and
burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. |
| And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto
this day. So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore
the name of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day. |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be
thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to
Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and
his city, and his land: |
| And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst
unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle
thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush
for the city behind it. |
| So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up
against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour,
and sent them away by night. |
| And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie
in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the
city, but be ye all ready: |
| And I, and all the people that are with me, will
approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out
against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, |
| (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn
them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the
first: therefore we will flee before them. |
| Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize
upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. |
| And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that
ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD
shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. |
| Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to
lie in ambush, and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai:
but Joshua lodged that night among the people. |
| And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and
numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before
the people to Ai. |
| And all the people, even the people of war that were
with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched
on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai. |
| And he took about five thousand men, and set them to
lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. |
| And when they had set the people, even all the host
that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west
of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley. |
| And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it,
that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out
against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed,
before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush
against him behind the city. |
| And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were
beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. |
| And all the people that were in Ai were called
together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were
drawn away from the city. |
| And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that
went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued
after Israel. |
| And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear
that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And
Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. |
| And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and
they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into
the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire. |
| And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw,
and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had
no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the
wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. |
| And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush
had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they
turned again, and slew the men of Ai. |
| And the other issued out of the city against them;
so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that
side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or
escape. |
| And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him
to Joshua. |
| And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of
slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness
wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of
the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned
unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. |
| And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of
men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. |
| For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he
stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the
inhabitants of Ai. |
| Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel
took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD
which he commanded Joshua. |
| And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever,
even a desolation unto this day. |
| And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until
eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they
should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering
of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that
remaineth unto this day. |
| Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of
Israel in mount Ebal, |
| As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the
children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an
altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they
offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace
offerings. |
| And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law
of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. |
| And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and
their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the
priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as
well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over
against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as
Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should
bless the people of Israel. |
| And afterward he read all the words of the law, the
blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of
the law. |
| There was not a word of all that Moses commanded,
which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the
women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among
them. |
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