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.
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.
