13 city. And they set the people, all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.

14

And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it, that the men of the city hasted and rose up early, and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the appointed place, before the plain. And he knew not that there was an 15 ambush against him behind the city. And Joshua and all Israel were smitten before them, and fled by the way of the 16 wilderness. And all the people that were in Ai were called

together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, 17 and were drawn away from the city. And not a man was left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel; and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.

18

And Jehovah said to Joshua: Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand toward 19 the city. And the ambush arose quickly out of their place,

and they ran as soon as he stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the 20 city on fire. And the men of Ai looked behind them, and saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city rose up to heaven, and they had no strength to flee this way or that way; and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the 21 pursuers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city rose 22 up, they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. And the others 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 left none of them surviv23 ing or escaped. 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 pursued them, and they were all fallen on the edge of the sword until they were consumed, that all the Is

raelites returned to Ai, and smote it with the edge of the 25 sword. And all that fell that day, both men and women, 26 were twelve thousand, all the men of Ai. And Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until 27 he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took to themselves for a prey, according to the word of Jehovah which he com28 manded Joshua. And Joshua burned Ai, and made it a

29 heap for ever, a desolation unto this day.

30

And the king of And as soon as the

Ai he hanged on the tree until eventide. sun was down, Joshua gave command and they took down his carcass from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raised thereon a great heap of stones, unto this day.

And Joshua built an altar to Jehovah God of Israel on 31 mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah 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 has lifted up any iron; and they offered thereon burnt offerings 32 to Jehovah, and sacrificed peace offerings. And he wrote

33

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

And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side and on that side of the ark before the priests the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the stranger as the native-born; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and the half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of Jehovah had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Is34 rael. And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings, according to all that is written in 35 the book of the law. There 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 walked among them.

V. 34. See Deut. 28: 1-14, and 15-68.

1

AND it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side of the Jordan, on the hills and in the low country, and on all the coast of the great sea toward Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, 2 and the Jebusite, heard thereof; that they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord

3 And the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had 4 done to Jericho and to Ai. They also dealt craftily, and went and made as if they journeyed, and took old sacks upon their asses, asses, and wine-skins, old, and rent, and patched ; 5 and old shoes and clouted on their feet, and old garments on them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and 6 mouldy. And they went to Joshua to the camp at Gilgal, and said to him, and to the men of Israel: We are come from 7 a far country; and now make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said to the Hivites: Perhaps ye dwell among 8 us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said to Joshua, we are thy servants. And Joshua said to 9 them, who are ye? And from whence come ye? And they said to him: From a very far country thy servants are come, for the name of Jehovah thy God. For we have heard the 10 fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt; and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Ba11 shan, who was at Ashtaroth. And our elders and all the inhabitants of our country said to us: Take provision in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, we are your servants; and now make ye a league with us. 12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to go to you; but now, behold, it 13 is dry, and it is mouldy. And these wine-skins, which we filled, were new; behold, they are rent. And these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very 14 long journey. And the men took of their provisions, and

V. 4. Wine-skins. See the writer's note on Gen. 21: 14.

15 asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah. And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live; and the princes of the congregation swore to them.

16

And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard they were their 17 neighbors, and were dwelling among them. And the children. of Israel journeyed, and came to their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, 18 and Kirjath-jearim. And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of the congregation had sworn to them by Jehovah God of Israel. And all the congregation 19 murmured against the princes. And all the princes said to

all the congregation: We have sworn to them by Jehovah 20 God of Israel; and now we may not touch them. This we will do to them, and let them live, lest wrath be upon us, be21 cause of the oath which we have sworn to them. And the princes said to them: Let them live. And they became hewers of wood and drawers of water to all the congregation; as the princes had told them.

22

23

And Joshua called them; and he said to them: Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you, when ye are dwelling among us? And now ye are cursed; and there shall none of you be freed from being a bondman, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my 24 God. And they answered Joshua, and said: Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that Jehovah thy God commanded his servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, we were sore afraid of our lives because of you, and have done 25 this thing. And now, behold, we are in thy hand; as is good 26 and right in thine eyes to do to us, do. And so did he to

them; and he delivered them out of the hand of the children 27 of Israel, and they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

1

AND it came to pass, when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had taken Ai and destroyed it; as he did to Jericho and her king, he did to Ai and her king; and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and 2 were among them; that they greatly feared, because Gibeon was a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it was greater than Ai, and all the men thereof were mighty. 3 And Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem sent to Hoham king of Hebron, and to Piram king of Jarmuth, and to Japhia king of Lachish, and to Debir king of Eglon, saying: Come up to me, and help me, and we will smite Gibeon; for it has made 5 peace with Joshua and with the children of Israel. And five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon, assembled, and went up, they and all their hosts, and encamped before Gibeon, and made war against it.

6

And the men of Gibeon sent to Joshua to the camp, to Gilgal, saying: Slacken not thy hand from thy servants; come up to us quickly, and save us, and help us. For all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the mountains are gathered 7 together against us. And Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the strong men of war.

8 And Jehovah said to Joshua: Fear them not, for I have given them into thy hand; there shall not a man of them 9 stand before thee. And Joshua came against them suddenly. 10 All the night he went up from Gilgal. And Jehovah discomfited them before Israel; and he smote them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goes up to Beth-horon, and smote them unto Azekah, and unto 11 Makkedah. And it came to pass, as they fled before Israel, they were at the descent from Beth-horon. And Jehovah

12

cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died. More were they who died by hailstones than they whom the children of Israel slew with the sword.

Then spoke Joshua to Jehovah, in the day when Jehovah