Joshua 8:16-27

¹⁶and the men cried together, and with gladness stirred themselves together (or and with gladness stirred themselves up), and they pursued the men of Israel. And when they had gone away from the city,

¹⁷and soothly not one had (been) left in the city of Ai and Bethel, that pursued not Israel, and they left the cities open, as they had broken out, (and truly there was no one left in the city of Ai, who did not pursue Israel, and they left the city wide open, when they had broken out,)

¹⁸the Lord said to Joshua, Raise up the shield that is in thine hand, against the city of Ai; for I shall give it to thee. And when Joshua had raised up his banner against the city of Ai, the Lord said to Joshua, Heave up thy sword that is in thine hand, against the city of Ai; for to thee I shall take it (or for I shall deliver it to thee). And when he had heaved up the sword over against the city,

¹⁹the ambushments, that were hid, rose up anon; and they went to the city, and took it, and burnt it. (those in ambush, who were hid, rose up at once; and they went into the city, and took it, and set it afire.)

²⁰Forsooth the men of the city, that pursued Joshua, beheld, and saw the smoke of the(ir) city ascend till to (the) heaven(s); and they might no more flee hither and thither; most(ly) since they that had feigned flight, and went to (the) wilderness, withstood strongliest against the pursuers (or now strongly withstood their pursuers).

²¹And Joshua saw, and all Israel, that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city went up; and he turned again, and killed the men of Ai. (And Joshua, and all of Israel, saw that the city was taken, and that the smoke of the city went up; and then they turned, and killed the men of Ai.)

²²And also those men that had taken and burnt the city, went out of the city against their enemies, and they began to smite the middle men of their enemies, (or And those men who had taken and set the city afire, now came out of the city against their enemies, and they began to strike down the enemies who were in their midst); and when their adversaries were slain behind and before, so that no man of so great a multitude was saved,

²³they took also the king of Ai living (or they took the king of Ai alive), and they brought him to Joshua.

²⁴Therefore, when all the men were slain, that pursued Israel fleeing to desert, and had fallen by sword in the same place, the sons of Israel turned again, and destroyed the city of Ai. (And so, when all the men were killed, that Israel had pursued fleeing to the desert, and they had fallen by the sword in that place, then the Israelites turned back, and completely destroyed the city of Ai.)

²⁵Forsooth they that felled down in the same day, from man till to woman, were twelve thousand of men, all men of the city of Ai. (And they who fell that day, from the men unto the women, were twelve thousand people, yea, all the inhabitants of the city of Ai.)

²⁶For Joshua withdrew not his hand, which he had directed on high holding up his banner or that in height he put up holding the sword, (or that he had put on high holding up his sword), till that all the dwellers of Ai were slain.

²⁷And the sons of Israel parted to themselves the work beasts (or And the Israelites divided among themselves the work beasts), and the prey of the city, as the Lord commanded to Joshua;