Joshua 8:12-28

¹²He took about five thousand men and had them lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the town.

¹³So the army took up their positions—the main army to the north of the town, and the ambush to the west. Joshua went that night to the valley.

¹⁴As soon as the king of Ai saw the situation, he and all his men rushed out early in the morning to attack the Israelites where they had before, at a place overlooking the Jordan valley. He didn't know about the ambush waiting on the other side of the town.

¹⁵Joshua and the Israelites allowed themselves to be driven back, and ran away in the direction of the wilderness.

¹⁶All the men of the town were called out to chase after them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn father from the town.

¹⁷There wasn't a man left in Ai and Bethel who didn't go out to chase the Israelites. They left the town wide open as they pursued the Israelites.

¹⁸Then the Lord told Joshua, “Hold up the spear in your hand and point it at Ai, because I'm giving it to you.” So Joshua held up the spear in his hand and pointed it at the town.

¹⁹As soon as they saw this signal the men lying in ambush got up and rushed into the town. They captured it, and quickly set it on fire.

²⁰When the men of Ai looked back they saw the smoke rising up into the sky from the town. They had nowhere to run to, because the Israelites who had been running away towards the wilderness now turned on their pursuers.

²¹For when Joshua and the Israelites saw that the ambush group had captured the town, and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and attacked the men of Ai.

²²The men from the ambush also came from the town and attacked them, so they were caught on the middle, with the Israelites on both sides. The Israelites cut them down—not a single man survived or got away.

²³Only the king of Ai was captured alive, and he was brought before Joshua.

²⁴When the Israelites had finished killing the men of Ai who had chased them towards the wilderness—once they had all been cut down by the sword—the whole Israelite army returned to the town and killed everyone living there.

²⁵Those who were killed that day numbered twelve thousand, men and women—all the inhabitants of Ai.

²⁶For Joshua had continued to hold up his spear until all the people of Ai had been destroyed.

²⁷Only the livestock and plunder were taken from the town by the Israelites, as the Lord had instructed Joshua.

²⁸So Joshua burned the town of Ai, making it permanently into a heap of ruins where no one lives to this very day.