Joshua 8:12-28

¹²And taking about five thousand men, he put them in position for a surprise attack on the west side of Ai, between Beth-el and Ai.

¹³So all the people were in their places, the army on the north side of the town and the secret force on the west; and that night Joshua went down into the valley.

¹⁴Now when the king of Ai saw it, he got up quickly and went out to war against Israel, he and all his people, to the slope going down to the valley; but he had no idea that a secret force was waiting at the back of the town.

¹⁵Then Joshua and all Israel, acting as if they were overcome before them, went in flight by way of the waste land.

¹⁶And all the people in Ai came together to go after them; and they went after Joshua, moving away from the town.

¹⁷There was not a man in Ai and Beth-el who did not go out after Israel; and the town was open and unwatched while they went after Israel.

¹⁸And the Lord said to Joshua, Let your spear be stretched out against Ai; for I will give it into your hands. So Joshua took up his spear, stretching it out in the direction of the town.

¹⁹Then the secret force came quickly from their place, and running forward when they saw his hand stretched out, went into the town and took it, and put fire to it straight away.

²⁰Then the men of Ai, looking back, saw the smoke of the town going up to heaven, and were unable to go this way or that: and the people who had gone in flight to the waste land were turned back on those who were coming after them.

²¹And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the town had been taken by the surprise attack, and that the smoke of the town had gone up, turning round they overcame the men of Ai.

²²Then the other force came out of the town against them, so that they were being attacked on this side and on that: and Israel overcame them and let not one of them get away with his life.

²³But the king of Ai they made prisoner, and took him to Joshua.

²⁴Then, after the destruction of all the people of Ai in the field and in the waste land where they went after them, and when all the people had been put to death without mercy, all Israel went back to Ai, and put to death all who were in it without mercy.

²⁵On that day twelve thousand were put to death, men and women, all the people of Ai.

²⁶For Joshua did not take back his hand with the outstretched spear till the destruction of the people of Ai was complete.

²⁷But the cattle and the goods from that town, Israel took for themselves, as the Lord had given orders to Joshua.

²⁸So Joshua gave Ai to the flames, and made it a waste mass of stones for ever, as it is to this day.