The Capture and Destruction of Ai
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Take all the soldiers with you and go on up to Ai. Don't be afraid or discouraged. I will give you victory over the king of Ai; his people, city, and land will be yours. 2 You are to do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, but this time you may keep its goods and livestock for yourselves. Prepare to attack the city by surprise from the rear.”
3 So Joshua got ready to go to Ai with all his soldiers. He picked out thirty thousand of his best troops and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Hide on the other side of the city, but not too far away from it; be ready to attack. 5 My men and I will approach the city. When the men of Ai come out against us, we will turn and run, just as we did the first time. 6 They will pursue us until we have led them away from the city. They will think that we are running from them, as we did before. 7 Then you will come out of hiding and capture the city. The Lord your God will give it to you. 8 After you have taken the city, set it on fire, just as the Lord has commanded. These are your orders.” 9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.
10 Early in the morning Joshua got up and called the soldiers together. Then he and the leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11 The soldiers with him went toward the main entrance to the city and set up camp on the north side, with a valley between themselves and Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel. 13 The soldiers were arranged for battle with the main camp north of the city and the rest of the men to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear. 15 Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country. 16 All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city. 17 Every man in Ai went after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open, with no one to defend it.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Point your spear at Ai; I am giving it to you.” Joshua did as he was told, 19 and as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly, ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke rising to the sky. There was no way for them to escape, because the Israelites who had run toward the barren country now turned around to attack them. 21 When Joshua and his men saw that the others had taken the city and that it was on fire, they turned around and began killing the men of Ai. 22 The Israelites in the city now came down to join the battle. So the men of Ai found themselves completely surrounded by Israelites, and they were all killed. No one got away, and no one lived through it 23 except the king of Ai. He was captured and taken to Joshua.
24 The Israelites killed every one of the enemy in the barren country where they had chased them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25-26 Joshua kept his spear pointed at Ai and did not put it down until every person there had been killed. The whole population of Ai was killed that day—twelve thousand men and women. 27 The Israelites kept for themselves the livestock and goods captured in the city, as the Lord had told Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today. 29 He hanged the king of Ai from a tree and left his body there until evening. At sundown Joshua gave orders for the body to be removed, and it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. They covered it with a huge pile of stones, which is still there today.
The Law Is Read at Mount Ebal
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel. 31 He made it according to the instructions that Moses, the Lord's servant, had given the Israelites, as it says in the Law of Moses: “an altar made of stones which have not been cut with iron tools.” On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord, and they also presented their fellowship offerings. 32 There, with the Israelites looking on, Joshua made on the stones a copy of the Law which Moses had written. 33 The Israelites, with their leaders, officers, and judges, as well as the foreigners among them, stood on two sides of the Lord's Covenant Box, facing the levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and the other half with their backs to Mount Ebal. The Lord's servant Moses had commanded them to do this when the time came for them to receive the blessing. 34 Joshua then read aloud the whole Law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the book of the Law. 35 Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua to the whole gathering, which included women and children, as well as the foreigners living among them.
Ajas ieņemšana
1 Kungs teica Jozuam: “Nebaidies un nebaiļojies! Ņem līdzi visus ļaudis, kas var doties karā, celies un dodies uz Aju, redzi, es esmu atdevis tavā rokā Ajas ķēniņu un viņa tautu, viņa pilsētu un viņa zemi! 2 Dari ar Aju un tās ķēniņu tāpat, kā darīji ar Jēriku un tās ķēniņu, taču laupījumu un lopus, ko tur salaupīsiet, paturiet sev! Ierīko slēpni aiz pilsētas!” 3 Tad Jozua ar visiem karavīriem devās uz Aju, un Jozua izraudzījās trīsdesmit tūkstošus vīru – varenus spēkavīrus! – un lika tiem doties turp naktī. 4 Viņš tiem sacīja: “Redzi, uzglūniet pilsētai no viņas puses, neatkāpieties no pilsētas pārāk tālu un esiet gatavi! 5 Bet es ar tiem vīriem, kas kopā ar mani, nākšu uz pilsētu, un, kad viņi iznāks mums pretī tāpat kā iepriekš, tad mēs bēgsim no viņiem. 6 Tie dosies mums pakaļ, un mēs izvilināsim tos no pilsētas, jo tie nodomās, ka mēs bēgam no tiem tāpat kā iepriekš, un mēs bēgsim no tiem! 7 Tad jūs dodieties laukā no slēpņa un ieņemiet pilsētu, jo Kungs, jūsu Dievs, to ir nodevis jūsu rokā! 8 Kad būsiet sagrābuši pilsētu, aizdedziniet to – dariet, kā Kungs jums pavēlējis, redzi, to es jums pavēlu!” 9 Tad Jozua sūtīja tos, un tie novietojās slēpnī, apmetušies starp Bēteli un Aju – uz rietumiem no Ajas, bet Jozua tonakt palika pie tautas.
10 Tad Jozua cēlās agri no rīta, izrīkoja tautu un kopā ar Israēla vecajiem devās tautas priekšgalā uz Aju. 11 Un visi karavīri, kas bija ar viņu, gāja un traucās, un nonāca iepretī pilsētai – tie apmetās ziemeļos no Ajas, tā ka starp tiem un Aju bija ieleja. 12 Tad viņš ņēma piecus tūkstošus vīru un nolika tos slēpnī starp Bēteli un Aju pilsētas rietumpusē. 13 Ļaudis izvietojās tā – visa nometne bija uz ziemeļiem no pilsētas, bet daļa no tiem bija uz rietumiem no pilsētas. Jozua tonakt bija nogājis ielejā. 14 Kad Ajas ķēniņš to redzēja, pilsētas vīri steidza laukā cīnīties pret Israēlu – ar visiem saviem ļaudīm viņš devās klajumā, bet nezināja, ka aiz pilsētas ir ierīkots slēpnis. 15 Taču Jozua un viss Israēls izlikās, ka būtu sakauti, un bēga uz tuksneša pusi. 16 Visi ļaudis, kas bija pilsētā, tika saukti dzīties tiem pakaļ – tie dzinās pakaļ Jozuam un tā tika izvilināti no pilsētas. 17 Ne Ajā, ne Bētelē nepalika neviena, kas nebūtu devies pakaļ Israēlam. Tie pameta Aju nenoslēgtu un dzinās pakaļ Israēlam.
18 Tad Kungs teica Jozuam: “Izstiep šķēpu, kas tev rokā, pret Aju, jo es to atdodu tev!” Un Jozua izstiepa pret pilsētu šķēpu, kas tam bija rokā. 19 Tad tie, kas bija slēpnī, steigšus cēlās un skrēja, kolīdz viņš bija izstiepis savu roku, – tie devās iekšā pilsētā, ieņēma to un steigšus aizdedzināja pilsētu. 20 Ajas vīri nu pagriezās atpakaļ un skatījās, un, redzi, no pilsētas padebešos cēlās dūmi! Nu tie vairs nespēja bēgt ne turpu, ne šurpu – ļaudis, kas no viņiem bija bēguši uz tuksnesi, tagad griezās pretī saviem vajātājiem. 21 Kad Jozua un viss Israēls redzēja, ka tie, kas bija slēpnī, tagad ieņēmuši pilsētu un no tās ceļas dūmi, viņi griezās atpakaļ un kāva Ajas pilsētas vīrus. 22 Arī tie, kas nāca no pilsētas, devās tiem pretī, tā ka Ajas vīri nonāca pa vidu Israēlam – vieni tiem bija no vienas puses un otri no otras – un viņi tos kāva tā, ka nevienam neizdevās paglābties vai aizbēgt. 23 Bet Ajas ķēniņu viņi sagūstīja dzīvu un atveda pie Jozuas.
24 Kad Israēls bija nokāvis visus Ajas iemītniekus, kas bija uz lauka – tuksnesī, kur tie bija tos aizdzinuši, kad tie visi kā viens bija krituši no zobena asmens, tad viss Israēls atgriezās Ajā un kāva to ar zobena asmeni. 25 Un visi tajā dienā kritušie – gan vīri, gan sievas – kopā bija divpadsmit tūkstoši, visi Ajas ļaudis. 26 Jozua nenolaida savu rokā pacelto šķēpu, kamēr nebija iznīcināti visi Ajas iemītnieki. 27 Taču lopus un visu, kas pilsētā laupāms, Israēls paturēja sev, kā Kungs bija teicis un Jozua pavēlējis. 28 Jozua nodedzināja Aju un padarīja to par izpostījumu uz visiem laikiem – līdz pat šai dienai! 29 Un Ajas ķēniņu viņš pakāra kokā līdz vakaram, un, kad norietēja saule, Jozua pavēlēja noņemt viņa līķi no koka – to nosvieda pie pilsētas vārtiem un uzbēra pār to lielu akmens kaudzi – tur tā ir līdz šai dienai.
Derības atjaunošana Ēbāla kalnā
(5Moz 27:4–5)30 Tad Jozua Ēbāla kalnā uzcēla altāri Kungam, Israēla Dievam, 31 kā Kunga kalps Mozus bija pavēlējis Israēla dēliem un kā rakstīts Mozus bauslības grāmatā – altāri no netēstiem akmeņiem, ko dzelzs rīks nav skāris. Un uz tā tie upurēja sadedzināmos upurus Kungam un kāva miera upurus. 32 Tur uz tiem akmeņiem viņš rakstīja Mozus bauslības norakstu – to viņš rakstīja, klātesot Israēla dēliem. 33 Un viss Israēls kopā ar saviem vecajiem, virsniekiem un tiesnešiem stāvēja abās pusēs šķirstam iepretī levītiem, priesteriem, kuri nesa Kunga derības šķirstu, – gan svešinieki, gan pašu ļaudis – viena puse iepretī Gerizīma kalnam un otra puse iepretī Ēbāla kalnam. Tā Kunga kalps Mozus jau iepriekš tiem bija pavēlējis svētīt Israēla tautu. 34 Pēc tam viņš lasīja visus bauslības vārdus – gan svētību, gan lāstu – visu, kas rakstīts bauslības grāmatā. 35 No tā, ko Mozus bija pavēlējis, nebija ne vārda, ko Jozua nebūtu nolasījis priekšā visai Israēla sapulcei, sievām, bērniem un svešiniekiem, kas bija viņu vidū.
