1995 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Joshua 8

1 God encourageth Joshua. 3 The stratagem whereby Ai was taken. 29 The king thereof is hanged. 30 Joshua buildeth an altar, 32 writeth the Law on stones, 34 propoundeth blessings and cursings.

 8:1 Now the LORD 3068 said 559 to Joshua 3091, “Do not fear 3372a or be dismayed 2865. Take 3947 all 3605 the people 5971a of war 4421 with you and arise 6965, go 5927 up to Ai 5857; see 7200, I have given 5414 into your hand 3027 the king 4428 of Ai 5857, his people 5971a, his city 5892b, and his land 776.

 8:2 “You shall do 6213a to Ai 5857 and its king 4428 just 3512c as you did 6213a to Jericho 3405 and its king 4428; you shall take 962 only 7534 its spoil 7998 and its cattle 929 as plunder 962 for yourselves. Set 7760 an ambush 693 for the city 5892b behind 4480 310 it.”

 8:3 ¶ So Joshua 3091 rose 6965 with all 3605 the people 5971a of war 4421 to go 5927 up to Ai 5857; and Joshua 3091 chose 977 30,000 7970 505 men 376, valiant 2428 warriors 1368, and sent 7971 them out at night 3915.

 8:4 He commanded 6680 them, saying 559, “See 7200, you are going to ambush 693 the city 5892b from behind 310 it. Do not go 7368 very 3966 far 7368 from the city 5892b, but all 3605 of you be ready 3559.

 8:5 “Then I and all 3605 the people 5971a who 834 are with me will approach 7126 the city 5892b. And when 3588 they come 3318 out to meet 7122 us as at the first 7223, we will flee 5127 before 6440 them.

 8:6 “They will come 3318 out after 310 us until 5704 we have drawn 5423 them away 5423 from the city 5892b, for they will say 559, ‘[They] are fleeing 5127 before 6440 us as at the first 7223.’ So we will flee 5127 before 6440 them.

 8:7 “And you shall rise 6965 from [your] ambush 693 and take 3423 possession 3423 of the city 5892b, for the LORD 3068 your God 430 will deliver 5414 it into your hand 3027.

 8:8 “Then it will be when you have seized 8610 the city 5892b, that you shall set 3341 the city 5892b on fire 784. You shall do 6213a [it] according to the word 1697 of the LORD 3068. See 7200, I have commanded 6680 you.”

 8:9 So Joshua 3091 sent 7971 them away 7971, and they went 1980 to the place of ambush 3993 and remained 3427 between 996 Bethel 1008 and Ai 5857, on the west 3220 side 3220 of Ai 5857; but Joshua 3091 spent 3885a that night 3915 among 8432 the people 5971a.

 8:10 ¶ Now Joshua 3091 rose 7925 early 7925 in the morning 1242 and mustered 6485 the people 5971a, and he went 5927 up with the elders 2205 of Israel 3478 before 6440 the people 5971a to Ai 5857.

 8:11 Then all 3605 the people 5971a of war 4421 who 834 [were] with him went 5927 up and drew 5066 near 5066 and arrived 935 in front 5048 of the city 5892b, and camped 2583 on the north 6828 side 6828 of Ai 5857. Now [there was] a valley 1516 between 996 him and Ai 5857.

 8:12 And he took 3947 about 5,000 2568 505 men 376 and set 7760 them in ambush 693 between 996 Bethel 1008 and Ai 5857, on the west 3220 side 3220 of the city 5892b.

 8:13 So they stationed 7760 the people 5971a, all 3605 the army 4264 that was on the north 6828 side 6828 of the city 5892b, and its rear 6119 guard 6119 on the west 3220 side 3220 of the city 5892b, and Joshua 3091 spent 1980 that night 3915 in the midst 8432 of the valley 6010.

 8:14 It came 1961 about when the king 4428 of Ai 5857 saw 7200 [it], that the men 376 of the city 5892b hurried 4116 and rose 7925 up early 7925 and went 3318 out to meet 7122 Israel 3478 in battle 4421, he and all 3605 his people 5971a at the appointed 4150 place 4150 before 6440 the desert 6160 plain 6160. But he did not know 3045 that [there was] an ambush 693 against him behind 4480 310 the city 5892b.

 8:15 Joshua 3091 and all 3605 Israel 3478 pretended 5060 to be beaten 5060 before 6440 them, and fled 5127 by the way 1870 of the wilderness 4057b.

 8:16 And all 3605 the people 5971a who 834 were in the city 5892b were called 2199 together 2199 to pursue 7291 them, and they pursued 7291 Joshua 3091 and were drawn 5423 away 5423 from the city 5892b.

 8:17 So not a man 376 was left 7604 in Ai 5857 or Bethel 1008 who 834 had not gone 3318 out after 310 Israel 3478, and they left 5800a the city 5892b unguarded 6605a and pursued 7291 Israel 3478.

 8:18 ¶ Then the LORD 3068 said 559 to Joshua 3091, “Stretch 5186 out the javelin 3591 that is in your hand 3027 toward 413 Ai 5857, for I will give 5414 it into your hand 3027.” So Joshua 3091 stretched 5186 out the javelin 3591 that was in his hand 3027 toward 413 the city 5892b.

 8:19 The [men in] ambush 693 rose 6965 quickly 4120 from their place 4725, and when he had stretched 5186 out his hand 3027, they ran 7323 and entered 935 the city 5892b and captured 3920 it, and they quickly 4116 set 3341 the city 5892b on fire 784.

 8:20 When the men 376 of Ai 5857 turned 6437 back 310 and looked 7200, behold 2009, the smoke 6227 of the city 5892b ascended 5927 to the sky 8064, and they had 1961 no 3808 place 3027 to flee 5127 this 2088 way 2008 or that, for the people 5971a who had been fleeing 5127 to the wilderness 4057b turned 2015 against 413 the pursuers 7291.

 8:21 When Joshua 3091 and all 3605 Israel 3478 saw 7200 that the [men in] ambush 693 had captured 3920 the city 5892b and that the smoke 6227 of the city 5892b ascended 5927, they turned 7725 back 7725 and slew 5221 the men 376 of Ai 5857.

 8:22 The others 428 came 3318 out from the city 5892b to encounter 7122 them, so that they were [trapped] in the midst 8432 of Israel 3478, some 428 on this 2088 side 2088 and some 428 on that side 2088; and they slew 5221 them until 5704 no 1115 one was left 7604 of those who 8300 survived 8300 or escaped 6412a.

 8:23 But they took 8610 alive 2416a the king 4428 of Ai 5857 and brought 7126 him to Joshua 3091.

 8:24 ¶ Now when Israel 3478 had finished 3615 killing 2026 all 3605 the inhabitants 3427 of Ai 5857 in the field 7704 in the wilderness 4057b where 834 they pursued 7291 them, and all 3605 of them were fallen 5307 by the edge 6310 of the sword 2719 until 5704 they were destroyed 8552, then all 3605 Israel 3478 returned 7725 to Ai 5857 and struck 5221 it with the edge 6310 of the sword 2719.

 8:25 All 3605 who fell 5307 that day 3117, both 4480 men 376 and women 802, were 12,000 8147 6240 505—all 3605 the people 376 of Ai 5857.

 8:26 For Joshua 3091 did not withdraw 7725 his hand 3027 with which 834 he stretched 5186 out the javelin 3591 until 5704 he had utterly 2763a destroyed 2763a all 3605 the inhabitants 3427 of Ai 5857.

 8:27 Israel 3478 took 962 only 7534 the cattle 929 and the spoil 7998 of that city 5892b as plunder 962 for themselves, according to the word 1697 of the LORD 3068 which 834 He had commanded 6680 Joshua 3091.

 8:28 So Joshua 3091 burned 8313 Ai 5857 and made 7760 it a heap 8510 forever 5769, a desolation 8077 until 5704 this 2088 day 3117.

 8:29 He hanged 8518 the king 4428 of Ai 5857 on a tree 6086 until 5704 evening 6153; and at sunset 8121 935 Joshua 3091 gave 6680 command 6680 and they took 3381 his body 5038 down 3381 from the tree 6086 and threw 7993 it at the entrance 6607 of the city 5892b gate 8179, and raised 6965 over 5921 it a great 1419 heap 1530 of stones 68 [that stands] to this 2088 day 3117.

 8:30 ¶ Then 227 Joshua 3091 built 1129 an altar 4196 to the LORD 3068, the God 430 of Israel 3478, in Mount 2022 Ebal 5858c,

 8:31 just 3512c as Moses 4872 the servant 5650 of the LORD 3068 had commanded 6680 the sons 1121 of Israel 3478, as it is written 3789 in the book 5612 of the law 8451 of Moses 4872, an altar 4196 of uncut 8003 stones 68 on which 834 no 3808 man had wielded 5130 an iron 1270 [tool]; and they offered 5927 burnt 5930a offerings 5930a on it to the LORD 3068, and sacrificed 2076 peace 8002 offerings 8002.

 8:32 He wrote 3789 there 8033 on the stones 68 a copy 4932 of the law 8451 of Moses 4872, which 834 he had written 3789, in the presence 6440 of the sons 1121 of Israel 3478.

 8:33 All 3605 Israel 3478 with their elders 2205 and officers 7860 and their judges 8199 were standing 5975 on both 4480 2088 sides 4480 2088 of the ark 727 before 5048 the Levitical 3881 priests 3548 who carried 5375 the ark 727 of the covenant 1285 of the LORD 3068, the stranger 1616 as well as the native 249. Half 2677 of them [stood] in front 4136 of Mount 2022 Gerizim 1630 and half 2677 of them in front 4136 of Mount 2022 Ebal 5858c, just 3512c as Moses 4872 the servant 5650 of the LORD 3068 had given 6680 command 6680 at first 7223 to bless 1288 the people 5971a of Israel 3478.

 8:34 Then afterward 310 3651 he read 7121 all 3605 the words 1697 of the law 8451, the blessing 1293 and the curse 7045, according to all 3605 that is written 3789 in the book 5612 of the law 8451.

 8:35 There was not a word 1697 of all 3605 that Moses 4872 had commanded 6680 which 834 Joshua 3091 did not read 7121 before 5048 all 3605 the assembly 6951 of Israel 3478 with the women 802 and the little 2945 ones 2945 and the strangers 1616 who were living 1980 among 7130 them.