Joshua:8

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* After , the Lord saide vnto Ioshua , Feare not , neither bee thou faint hearted : take all the men of warre with thee and arise , go vp to Ai : beholde , I haue giuen into thine hand the King of Ai , and his people , and his citie , 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 (note :)Meaning on the west side , as in ( Jos_8:9 ).(:note ) behind it . * Then Ioshua arose , and all the men of warre to goe vp against Ai : and Ioshua chose out thirtie thousand strong men , and valiant , and sent them away by night . * And he commanded them , saying , Behold , ye (note :)God would not destroy Ai by a miracle , as Jericho , so that other nations would fear the power and policy of his people .(:note ) 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 approche vnto the citie : and when they shall come out against vs , as they did at the first time , then will we flee before them . * For they wil come out after vs , till we haue brought them out of the citie : for they will say , They flee before vs as at the first time : so we will flee before them . * Then you shall rise vp from lying in waite and destroy the citie : for the Lord your God wil deliuer it into your hand . * And when ye haue taken the citie , ye shall set it on fire : according to the commandement of the Lord shall ye do : behold , I haue charged 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 (note :)With the rest of the army .(:note ) among the people . * And Joshua rose up early in the morning , and (note :)That is , viewed or mustered them and set them in array .(:note ) numbered the people , and went up , he and the elders of Israel , before the people to Ai . * Also all the men of warre that were with him went vp and drewe neere , and came against the citie , and pitched on the Northside of Ai : and there was a valley betweene them and Ai . * And he took about five thousand men , (note :)He sent these few , that the others who lay in ambush might not be discovered .(:note ) 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 (note :)To the intent that they in the city more easily discover his army .(:note ) midst of the valley . * And when the King of Ai sawe it , then the men of the citie hasted and rose vp earely , and went out against Israel to battell , hee and all his people at the time appointed , before the plaine : for he knew not that any lay in waite against him on the backeside of the citie . * And Joshua and all Israel (note :)As they who pretended to flee for fear .(:note ) made as if they were beaten before them , and fled by the way of the wilderness . * And all the people of the citie were called together , to pursue after them : and they pursued after Ioshua , &amp ; were drawen away out of the city , * So that there was not a man left in Ai , nor in Beth-el , that went not out after Israel : and they left the citie open , and pursued after Israel . * And the LORD said unto Joshua , (note :)Or , lift up the banner to signify when they should invade the city .(:note ) 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 they that lay in wait , arose quickly out of their place , and ranne as soone as he had stretched out his hand , and they entred into the citie , and tooke it , and hasted , and set the citie on fire . * And the men of Ai looked behinde them , and sawe it : for loe , the smoke of the citie ascended vp to heauen , and they had no power to flee this way or that way : for the people that fled to the wildernesse , turned backe vpon the pursuers . * When Ioshua and all Israel sawe that they that lay in waite , had taken the citie , and that the smoke of the citie mounted vp , then they turned againe and slewe the men of Ai . * And the (note :)Who came out of the ambush .(:note ) 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 tooke aliue , and brought him to Ioshua . * 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 (note :)For the fire , which they had before set in the city , was not to consume it , but to signify to Joshua that they had entered .(:note ) smote it with the edge of the sword . * And all that fell that day , both of men and women , were twelue thousande , euen all the men of Ai . * For Ioshua drewe not his hande backe againe which he had stretched out with the speare , vntill hee had vtterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai . * Onely the cattell and the spoyle of this citie , Israel tooke for a praye vnto themselues , according vnto the worde of the Lorde , which hee commaunded Ioshua . * And Joshua burnt Ai , and made it an heap for (note :)That it could never be built again .(:note ) 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 (note :)According as it was commanded , ( Deu_21:23 ).(:note ) 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 Ioshua built an altar vnto the Lord God of Israel , in mount Ebal , * As Moses the seruant of the Lord had commaunded the children of Israel , as it is written in the booke of the Lawe of Moses , an altar of whole stone , ouer which no man had lift an yron : and they offered thereon burnt offrings vnto the Lord , and sacrificed peace offerings . * And he wrote there upon the stones a (note :)Meaning , the ten commandments , which are the sum of the whole Law .(:note ) 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 iudges stoode on this side of the Arke , and on that side , before the Priestes of the Leuites , which bare the Arke of the couenant of the Lorde ) as well the stranger , as he that is borne in the countrey : halfe of them were ouer against mount Gerizim , and halfe of them ouer against mount Ebal , as Moses the seruant of the Lorde had commaunded before , that they should blesse the people of Israel . * Then afterwarde hee read all the wordes of the Lawe , the blessings and cursings , according to all that is written in the booke of the Lawe . * There was not a word of all that Moses commanded , which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel , with the (note :)So neither young nor old , man nor woman , were exempted from hearing the word of the Lord .(:note ) women , and the little ones , and the strangers that were conversant among them .

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