Joshua 8

King James Version

Full text for Joshua Chapter 8

1¶ And the LORD said unto Joshua, 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:

2And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

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.

4And 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:

5And I, and all the people that [are] with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them,

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.

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

8And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, [that] ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.

9Joshua 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.

10And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai.

11And 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.

12And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.

13And 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.

14And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw [it], that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that [there were] liers in ambush against him behind the city.

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

16And 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.

17And 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.

18And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that [is] in thy 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 city.

19And 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.

20And 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.

21And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai.

22And 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.

24And 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.

25And [so] it was, [that] all that fell that day, both of men and women, [were] twelve thousand, [even] all the men of Ai.

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

27Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.

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

29And 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 carcase 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.

30¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,

31As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up [any] iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.

32And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

33And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel.

34And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law.

35There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

The LORD commanded Joshua not to fear, instructing him to attack Ai using an ambush strategy similar to Jericho, but allowing spoil. Joshua executed this plan, feigning retreat to draw out Ai's inhabitants, while a hidden force seized the city. Israel then utterly destroyed Ai and its people, after which Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal and publicly read the law of Moses to all Israel.

Medium Summary

Following the previous defeat, the LORD reassured Joshua and provided a detailed strategy for conquering Ai, permitting Israel to take the city's spoil and cattle. Joshua deployed a large ambush force behind Ai and led the main army to feign a retreat, drawing the king and all the men of Ai out of the city. As the men of Ai pursued, the ambush force entered and set the city ablaze, signaling the main army to turn and attack the pursuing Ai soldiers. Israel then annihilated all the inhabitants of Ai, numbering twelve thousand, and burned the city, hanging its king. Afterward, Joshua built an altar of unhewn stones on Mount Ebal and, as commanded by Moses, wrote a copy of the law upon stones and read all its words, including the blessings and cursings, to the entire congregation of Israel.

Long Summary

The chapter opens with the LORD commanding Joshua to conquer Ai, assuring him of victory and instructing him to use an ambush, allowing Israel to take the spoil and cattle. Joshua meticulously planned the attack, dispatching thirty thousand chosen men by night to lie in wait behind the city, while he and the main army approached from the front. The strategy involved a feigned retreat by Joshua's main force, drawing the king of Ai and all his people out of the city in pursuit, believing they were fleeing as before. Once the city was left undefended, the ambush force, signaled by Joshua stretching out his spear, swiftly entered and set Ai on fire. Seeing the smoke, the men of Ai, caught between the returning main Israelite army and the ambushers emerging from the city, were utterly destroyed. Twelve thousand inhabitants of Ai, both men and women, perished by the sword, and the city was burned and left as a perpetual desolation. The king of Ai was captured alive, then hanged on a tree until evening, his body later cast at the city gate and covered with a great heap of stones. Following this decisive victory, Joshua proceeded to Mount Ebal, where he built an altar of whole stones to the LORD, as commanded by Moses. Upon these stones, he inscribed a copy of the law of Moses. In a solemn assembly, with half the people facing Mount Gerizim and half Mount Ebal, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law, including the blessings and cursings, to the entire congregation of Israel, including women, children, and strangers, ensuring no word commanded by Moses was omitted.

Core Concepts

  • Divine Command and ReassuranceThe LORD directly instructs Joshua not to fear after the previous defeat, assuring him of victory over Ai and providing specific commands for the battle, including taking spoil.
  • Military Deception and AmbushJoshua employs a sophisticated military strategy involving a feigned retreat to lure the enemy out of their city, while a hidden force lies in ambush to seize the undefended city.
  • Complete Destruction of AiFollowing the battle, Ai and its twelve thousand inhabitants are utterly destroyed by the sword and fire, with only the cattle and spoil taken by Israel, fulfilling the LORD's command.
  • Obedience to Mosaic LawJoshua meticulously follows all the LORD's commands, including the specific instructions for the battle and, significantly, the later command to build an altar and publicly read the law on Mount Ebal.
  • Covenant Renewal CeremonyAfter the conquest, Joshua leads all Israel in a solemn ceremony on Mount Ebal, building an altar, writing the law on stones, and publicly reading the blessings and cursings of the law to the entire congregation.
  • Leadership and ExecutionJoshua demonstrates strong leadership by meticulously planning and executing the complex military strategy against Ai, and by faithfully carrying out the religious commands regarding the altar and the law.