Joshua 8:2-22

2You must destroy the city and its king as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may take their valuable things and their animals for yourselves. Hide some of your men behind the city, so that they are ready to attack.’

3So Joshua and the whole army marched towards Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 of the best soldiers and he sent some of them out at night time.

4He said to them, ‘Listen carefully. Go and hide behind the city. Stay near to it. Be ready to attack!

5In the morning, I will march towards the city with our other soldiers. When we get near to the city, the enemy's men will come out of the city to fight against us, as they did before. Then we will turn round and we will run away.

6They will chase us away from the city. They will say, “The Israelites are running away from us, as they did before.” We will continue to run away from them.

7Then you must leave the place where you have hidden. Go into the city and take it. The Lord your God will give it to you.

8When you have taken the city, start to burn it. Do what the Lord has told you to do. Be sure that you obey my commands.’

9Then Joshua sent the men away. They went and they hid on the west side of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua stayed with his other soldiers that night.

10Early the next morning, Joshua took the army to march towards Ai. He and the leaders of Israel marched in front.

11The soldiers who were with Joshua marched up to the city. They stopped in front of it, on the north side. They put up their tents there, where there was a valley between them and the city.

12Joshua had already sent about 5,000 men to hide on the west side of the city, between Bethel and Ai.

13The whole Israelite army was ready to fight. Most of them were with their tents on the north side of the city. The other soldiers were hiding on the west side of the city. That night Joshua went down into the valley.

14The king of Ai saw that Israel's army had arrived. Early the next morning, the king and his army hurried out of the city. They wanted to fight against Israel's army at the same place as before, on the hill near the Jordan Valley. But the king of Ai did not know that some Israelite soldiers were hiding behind the city.

15Joshua and his army let the men of Ai chase after them. They pretended to be afraid. They ran towards the desert.

16The king told all the men who remained in the city to chase the Israelites. So they continued to chase after them, far away from their city.

17No men remained in Ai or Bethel. They all chased after the Israelites. There was nobody left to keep the city safe.

18Then the Lord said to Joshua, ‘Hold out the spear that is in your hand. Point it towards Ai. I am now giving the city to you.’ So Joshua held out his spear towards Ai.

19As soon as he did this, the men who were hiding behind the city came out quickly. They ran into the city and they took it. Immediately, they used fire to burn it.

20The men of Ai looked behind them and they saw smoke in the sky above the city. But they could do nothing to escape. The Israelites who had been running away from them now turned round to fight them.

21Joshua and his army also saw the smoke. They knew that the other group of soldiers had taken the city. So they turned round and began to attack the men of Ai.

22Now the Israelites who had gone into the city also came out to fight. So the men of Ai were in between the two groups of Israelite soldiers. The Israelites killed all the men of Ai.