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: 2 And 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. 4 And 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: 5 And 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. 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 And 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.
9 Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10 And 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. 11 And 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. 12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 And 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.
14 And 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. 15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16 And 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. 17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. 18 And 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. 19 And 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. 20 And 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. 21 And 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. 22 And 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. 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 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. 25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Only 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. 28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 29 And 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, 31 As 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.
32 And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 33 And 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. 34 And 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. 35 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 were conversant among them.
1 耶和华对约书亚说： "你不要惧怕， 也不要惊慌， 你只管带领所有能作战的人， 起来上艾城去； 你看， 我已经把艾城的王和他的人民、城市、土地都交在你手里了。
2 你怎样对待耶利哥和耶利哥的王， 也要照样对待艾城和艾城的王； 只是城中的战利品和牲畜， 你们可以据为己有； 你要在城后面设下攻城的伏兵。"
3 于是， 约书亚和所有能作战的人都起来上艾城去； 约书亚选了三万英勇的战士， 漏夜派他们出去，
4 吩咐他们说： "你们注意， 要在城后面埋伏攻城； 不可离城太远， 人人都要作好准备。
5 我和所有与我一起的人， 要向城推进。城里的人像前一次出来攻击我们的时候， 我们就在他们面前逃跑；
6 他们必定出来追赶我们， 我们就把他们引出城来， 因为他们必定说： ‘这些人像前一次一样在我们面前逃跑了。’所以我们要在他们面前逃跑。
7 那时你们就要从埋伏的地方起来， 占领那城， 因为耶和华你们的 神必把城交在你们的手里。
8 你们占领了城以后， 就要放火烧城； 要照着耶和华的话行事； 你们要谨慎， 我已经吩咐你们了。"
9 约书亚差派他们去了， 他们就上到埋伏的地方去， 住在伯特利和艾城的中间， 就是在艾城的西边。那一夜， 约书亚却在人民中间住宿。
10 约书亚清早起来， 召集人民上艾城去， 他和以色列的长老走在人民的前面。
11 所有与他在一起的战士都上去， 迫近艾城， 在城的北面安营； 在约书亚和艾城中间有一个山谷，
12 约书亚挑了大约五千人， 要他们埋伏在伯特利和艾城中间， 就是艾城的西面。
13 于是他们把众民， 就是在城北的全军和在城西的伏兵都布置好了。那一夜， 约书亚走进了山谷之中。
14 艾城的王看见了这情形， 就和艾城的人急忙在清早起来， 按着所定的时候出到亚拉巴， 要与以色列人交战； 王却不知道在城后面有伏兵要攻击他。
15 约书亚和以色列人在他们面前装败， 沿着通往旷野的路逃跑。
16 城里的众民都被召集， 去追赶他们； 艾城的人追赶约书亚的时候， 就都被诱离城。
17 艾城和伯特利城没有留下一个人不出来追赶以色列人； 他们撇下了敞开的城门， 去追赶以色列人。
18 耶和华对约书亚说： "你向着艾城伸出你手中的短枪， 因为我要把城交在你手里。"约书亚就向着艾城伸出他手里的短枪。
19 他一伸手， 伏兵就从埋伏的地方急忙起来， 冲进城去， 把城夺取， 并连忙放火烧城。
20 艾城的人转身观看， 看见城里浓烟冲天， 就全身乏力， 不能逃跑； 往旷野逃跑的以色列人就转过来攻击追赶他们的人。
21 约书亚和以色列人看见伏兵已经夺取了城， 又看见城中浓烟上升， 就转回， 击杀艾城的人。
22 伏兵也出城攻击艾城的人； 艾城的人就被困在以色列人中间， 前后受敌； 于是以色列人把他们击杀， 没有留下一个， 也没有一个逃脱。
23 他们活捉了艾城的王， 把他解到约书亚那里。
24 以色列人在田间、在旷野， 杀尽了所有追赶他们的艾城的居民， 艾城的人全部倒在刀下， 直到完全消灭； 接着， 以色列众人回到艾城， 用刀击杀了城中的人。
25 那一天被杀的人， 连男带女， 共有一万二千人， 就是艾城所有的人。
26 约书亚没有收回伸出短枪的手， 直到把艾城的居民都消灭为止。
27 只有那城里的牲畜和战利品， 以色列人照着耶和华吩咐约书亚的话， 都据为己有。
28 约书亚烧了艾城， 使城永远成为废堆， 一片荒凉， 直到今日。
29 他又把艾城的王悬在树上， 直到黄昏的时候； 日落的时候， 约书亚吩咐人把尸体从树上拿下来， 丢在城门口那里， 又在尸体上堆起了一大堆石头， 这堆石头一直存到今日。
30 那时， 约书亚在以巴路山上， 为耶和华以色列的 神筑了一座祭坛，
31 是照着耶和华的仆人摩西吩咐以色列人的， 照着摩西律法书上所写的， 用未经过铁器打凿的整块石块筑成的一座祭坛； 在这祭坛之上， 众人向耶和华献燔祭， 也献平安祭。
32 约书亚在那里， 当着以色列人面前， 把摩西所写的摩西律法抄写在石头上。
33 全体以色列人和他们的长老、官长， 以及审判官， 都站在约柜的两旁， 在抬耶和华约柜的利未支派的祭司前面； 无论是寄居的， 或是本地人， 一半对着基利心山， 一半对着以巴路山； 正如耶和华的仆人摩西以前所吩咐的， 好为以色列民祝福。
34 然后， 约书亚宣读律法上一切祝福和咒诅的话， 全都照着律法书上所写的一切。
35 摩西吩咐的一切话， 约书亚在以色列全体会众和妇女、小孩， 以及在他们中间来往的寄居者面前， 没有一句不向他们宣读出来的。