16¶ And they answered Joshua, 5 And I, and all the people that saying, All that thou commandest are with me, will approach unto us, we will do, and whithersoever the city: and it shall come to pass thou sendest us, we will go. when they come out against us, 17 According as we hearkened as at the first, that we will flee unto Moses in all things, so will before them, we hearken unto thee: only the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.

18 Whosoever he be that doth rebel against thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commandest him, he shall be put to death: only be strong and of a good courage.

6 (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.

7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

8 And it shall be when ye have JOSH. VIII:1-29—B. C. 1451 taken the city, that ye shall set the 1 And the LORD said unto Josh-city on fire: according to the comJosh-mandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

ua, 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:

9¶ 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.

2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil 10 And Joshua rose up early in thereof, and the cattle thereof, the morning, and numbered the shall ye take for a prey unto your-people, and went up, he and the selves: lay thee an ambush for the elders of Israel, before the people city behind it. to Ai.

3 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.

4 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:

11 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.

12 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.

13 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.

20 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.

14¶ And it came to pass when the king of Ai saw it, that they hasted and rose up early, and the 21 And when Joshua and all Ismen of the city went out against rael saw that the ambush had Israel to battle, he and all his peo- taken the city, and that the smoke ple, at a time appointed, before of the city ascended, then they the plain: but he wist not that turned again, and slew the men there were liers in ambush against of Ai. him behind the city.

15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

16 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.

17 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.

22 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.

23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.

24 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.

18 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thine 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 fell that day, both of men and 25 And so it was, that all that

city.

19 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.

women,

were

twelve thousand. even all the men of Ai.

26 For Joshua drew not his hand back wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

27 Only the cattle and the spoil the nations that I have cut off,

of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.

28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever even a desolation unto this day.

29 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 carcass 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.

JOSH. XXIII:1-16-B. C. 1427

1 And it came to pass a long time after that the LORD had given rest unto Israel from all their enemies round about, that Joshua waxed old and stricken in age.

even unto the great sea westward.

5 And the LORD your God, he shall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your sight; and ye shall possess their land, as the LORD your God hath promised unto you.

6 Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye turn not aside therefrom to the right hand or to the left;

7 That ye come not among these nations, these that remain among you; neither make mention of the name of their gods, nor cause to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow yourselves unto them:

8 But cleave unto the LORD your God, as ye have done unto this day.

9 For the LORD hath driven out from before you great nations and 2 And Joshua called for all Is-strong: but as for you, no man rael, and for their elders, and for hath been able to stand before their heads, and for their judges, you unto this day. and for their officers, and said unto them, I am old and stricken in age:

3 And ye have seen all that the LORD your God hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the LORD your God is he that hath fought for you.

4 Behold, I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all

10 One man of you shall chase a thousand: for the LORD your God, he it is that fighteth for you, as he hath promised you.

11 Take good heed therefore unto yourselves, that ye love the LORD your God.

12 Else if ye do in any wise go back, and cleave unto the remnant of these nations, even these that remain among you, and shall make marriages with them, and go in unto them, and they to you:

13 Know for a certainty that JOSH. XXIV:1-33-B. C. 1427

the LORD your God will no more drive out any of these nations from before you; but they shall be snares and traps unto you, and scourges in your sides, and thorns in your eyes, until ye perish from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given you.

14 And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the LORD your God spake concerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof.

15 Therefore it shall come to pass, that as all good things are come upon you, which the LORD your God promised you; so shall the LORD bring upon you all evil things, until he have destroyed you from off this good land which the LORD your God hath given

you.

1 And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

3 And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

4 And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down. into Egypt.

5 I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

16 When ye have transgressed 6 And I brought your fathers the covenant of the LORD your out of Egypt: and ye came unto God, which he commanded you, the sea; and the Egyptians purand have gone and served other sued after your fathers with chargods, and bowed yourselves to iots and horsemen unto the Red them; then shall the anger of the LORD be kindled against you, and ye shall perish quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you.

sea.

7 And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen

what I have done in Egypt: and gods which your fathers served on

10 But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed vou still so I delivered you out of his hand.

the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

16 And the people answered, and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

17 For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up, and our from the house of bondage, and fathers, out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and sight, and preserved us in all the which did those great signs in our

11 And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hit-way wherein we went, and among tites, and the Girgashites, the Hiv-all the people through whom we ites, and the Jebusites, and I de- passed:

livered them into your hand.

18 And the LORD drave out from

12 And I sent the hornet before before us all the people, even the you, which drave them out from Amorites which dwelt in the land: before you, even the two kings of therefore will we also serve the the Amorites: but not with thy LORD; for he is our God. sword, nor with thy bow.

13 And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

19 And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God: he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions, nor your sins.

20 If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will 14 Now therefore fear the turn and do you hurt, and conLORD, and serve him in sincerity sume you, after that he hath done and in truth; and put away thel you good.