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OET by section JOS 8:1

JOS 8:1–8:29 ©

The defeat and destruction of Ay

This is still a very early look into the unfinished text of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check the text in advance before using in public.

Readers’ Version

Literal Version 

8:1 The defeat and destruction of Ay

8Then Yahweh told Yehoshua, “Don’t be afraid or discouraged. Take all your warriors with you and go to Ay. Listen, I’ve given you victory over Ay’s king and his people and his city and his land. 2You’ll do to Ay and its king what you did to Yericho and its king,[fn] except that you all can plunder its spoil and its livestock for yourselves. Ambush the city from behind.”

3So Yehoshua led his warriors towards Ay. He chose thirty thousand of the bravest and strongest warriors and sent them ahead in the darkness 4and told them, “Listen, you all lie in ambush against the city from close behind it, and make sure you all stay alert and ready to attack. 5I will bring those warriors who’re with me and we’ll approach the city, then when they come out to attack us like last time, we’ll run back away from them. 6They’ll think we’re running away from them like we did before, so they’ll chase after us until we’ve drawn them away from the city. 7Then you’ll all move in from your ambush position and capture the city, and your God Yahweh will give the city to you all. 8After you capture the city, set fire to it. Do what I’ve ordered you all which in turn has come from Yahweh. 9So Yehoshua sent them to set up the ambush between Ay and Bethel (so west of Ay). Meanwhile, he stayed overnight at the camp.

10Yehoshua got up early in the morning and gathered the warriors, then he and the Israeli elders went in front of them to go and attack Ay. 11They all went close to the city and camped there slightly to the north, with just a valley between them and Ay. 12(He had sent around five thousand warriors to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ay, west of the city, 13so the main group was to the north and the rear guard to the west.) That night Yehoshua went down into the valley. 14When the king of Ay saw the Israelis, he hurriedly got his men ready, and went out early to meet Israel for the battle. The king and his people went to a prepared spot overlooking the Yordan valley, but he didn’t know that another group lay in ambush behind the city. 15Yehoshua and the Israeli group allowed themselves to be struck by them, then they fled back towards the wilderness 16and all the men in the city were called out to chase them. So they chased after Yehoshua and were drawn away from the city, 17and there wasn’t a single man left in Ay or Bethel who didn’t join the chasethey left the city wide open and chased after the Israelis.

18Then Yahweh told Yehoshua, “Hold your spear out pointing towards Ay, because I will allow you to defeat it.” So Yehoshua held the spear that was in his hand out toward the city. 19When the warriors in the ambush saw that, they rushed out from their place and entered the city and captured it, and quickly set it on fire. 20When the men from Ay turned and looked behind them, the smoke from their city was going up into the sky, but they had nowhere to escape to. Then Yehoshua’s men who’d been fleeing towards the wilderness turned back around towards their pursuers 21and saw that the ambush had captured the city and the smoke was rising. So they continued back towards Ay, killing their men. 22Meanwhile, their warriors came back out of the city, so the men from Ay ended up in the middle of the two groups, and the Israelis fought until they’d killed them all. 23However they captured the king of Ay alive and brought him to Yehoshua.

24Then after the Israelis had finished killing the men of Ay who had chased them towards the wilderness, they returned to Ay and slaughtered the people still in there, 25so a total of twelve thousand men and women from Ay were killed that day. 26Yehoshua didn’t lower his spear until everyone who lived in Ay had been completely destroyed. 27The Israelis only took the livestock and the goods from Ay, just as Yahweh had instructed Yehoshua, 28then Yehoshua burnt the city and made it a permanent pile of rubble where no one lives to this day. 29He hanged the king of Ay on a tree, but as the sun was going down, he commanded that the corpse be brought down from the tree. They threw it into the city gateway and piled a big heap of rocks on top of it which is still there today.


8:2 We’re not actually given any details about what happened to the king of Yericho.

8and_he/it_said YHWH to Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua) do_not fear and_not be_dismayed take with_you DOM all the_people the_fighting and_arise go_up the_ˊAy see I_have_given in/on/at/with_hand_your DOM the_king the_ˊAy and_DOM people_his and_DOM city_his and_DOM land_his.
2And_do to_THE and_to_its just_as you(ms)_have_done/made to/for and_to_its only mmm and wwww to/for_you_all wwww to/for_yourself(m) wwww to/for from.
3And_he/it_rose_up Yəhōshūˊa and_all the_people the_fighting to_go_up the_ˊAy and_chose Yəhōshūˊa thirty thousand man the_mighty_[men] the_valor and_sent_out_them night.
4And_he/it_commanded DOM_them to_say see you_all [are]_lying_in_wait against_the_city from_behind the_city do_not go_far_away from the_city very and_you_all_will_be all_you_all prepared.
5And_I and_all the_people which with_me we_will_draw_near to the_city and_it_was if/because they_will_come_out to_meet_us just_as in/on/at/with_first and_flee before_face/front_them.
6And_come_out after_us until drawn_away_we DOM_them from the_city if/because they_will_say [they_are]_fleeing before_face/front_us just_as in/on/at/with_first and_flee before_face/front_them.
7And_you_all you_all_will_arise from_the_ambush and_seize DOM the_city and_give_it YHWH god_your_all’s in/on/at/with_hand_your_all’s.
8And_it_was when_taken_you_all DOM the_city you_all_will_set_on_fire DOM the_city in/on/at/with_fire according_to_word of_YHWH you_all_will_do see I_have_commanded DOM_you_all.
9And_sent_out_them Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua) and_went to the_place_of_ambush and_they_lived between house_of wwww and_between the_ˊAy to_west of_THE and wwww in/on/at/with (the)_that in_the_middle the.
10And_rose_early Yəhōshūˊa in/on/at/with_morning and_mustered DOM the_people and_he/it_ascended he and_elders of_Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) to_(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the_people the_ˊAy.
11And_all the_men the_fighting which with_him/it they_went_up and_drew_near and_they_came before the_city and_camped on_north of_THE and_the them[fn] and_between the.
12And_he/it_took about_five thousand(s) man and_he/it_assigned DOM_them an_ambush between house_of wwww and_between the_ˊAy to_west of_the_city.
13And_stationed the_forces DOM all the_camp which to_north of_the_city and_DOM rear_guard_its to_west of_the_city and_he/it_went Yəhōshūˊa in/on/at/with_night (the)_that in_the_middle the_valley.
14And_he/it_was when_saw the_king the_ˊAy and_hurried and_early_in_the_morning and_they_went_out the_men the_city to_meet Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) in_the_battle he and_all people_his at_the_meeting_place to_(the)_face_of/in_front_of/before the_ˊₐrāⱱāh and_he not he_knew if/because_that an_ambush to_him/it at_behind the_city.
15And_made_a_pretense_of_being_beaten Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua) and_all Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) before_face/front_them and_fled the_direction the_wilderness.
16And_called_together all the_people which in/on/at/with_ˊAy[fn] to_pursue after_them and_pursued after Yəhōshūˊa and_drawn_away from the_city.
17And_not he_remained anyone in/on/at/with_ˊAy and wwww who not they_went_out after Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) and_left DOM the_city open and_pursued after Yisrāʼēl/(Israel).
18and_he/it_said YHWH to Yəhōshūˊa stretch_out in/on/at/with_javelin which in/on/at/with_hand_your to the_ˊAy if/because in/on/at/with_hand_your give_it and_stretched_out Yəhōshūˊa in/on/at/with_javelin which in_his/its_hand to the_city.
19And_the_in_the_ambush it_arose quickly from_place_their and_ran as_soon_as_stretched_out his/its_hand and_they_came the_city and_captured_it and_quickly and_setting_ablaze DOM the_city in/on/at/with_fire.
20And_looked the_men the_ˊAy back_them and_they_saw and_see/lo/see it_went_up the_smoke the_city the_sky_to and_not it_was in/among_them hands to_flee hither and_that and_the_people the_fleeing the_wilderness it_turned_back against the_pursuers.
21And_Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua) and_all Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) they_saw if/because_that it_had_captured the_ambush DOM the_city and_because/when it_went_up the_smoke the_city and_turned_back and_struck_down DOM the_men the_ˊAy.
22And_these they_came_out from the_city to_meet_them and_they_were by_Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) in/on/at/with_midst these on_one and_these on_that and_struck_down DOM_them until not left to_him/it a_survivor and_escaped.
23And_DOM the_king the_ˊAy they_captured alive and_brought DOM_him/it to Yəhōshūˊa.
24And_he/it_was when_finished Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) to_killing DOM all the_inhabitants the_ˊAy in_the_field in/on/at/with_wilderness which pursued_them in/on/over_him/it and_they_fell all_them by_edge of_[the]_sword until very_last_they and_returned all Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) the_ˊAy and_attacked DOM_her/it with_edge of_[the]_sword.
25And_he/it_was all the_fell in_the_day (the)_that from_man and_unto woman [were]_two_plus ten thousand all the_people the_ˊAy.
26And_Yəhōshūˊa not he_drew_back his/its_hand which he_had_stretched_out in/on/at/with_javelin until that he_had_totally_destroyed DOM all the_inhabitants the_ˊAy.
27Only the_cattle/livestock and_spoil the_city the_that they_plundered to/for_them Yisrāʼēl/(Israel) according_to_word of_YHWH which he_had_commanded DOM Yəhōshūˊa/(Joshua).
28And_burned Yəhōshūˊa DOM the_ˊAy and_made_it a_mound of_perpetuity a_desolation until the_day the_this.
29And_DOM the_king the_ˊAy he_hanged on the_tree until the_time the_evening and_at_went_down the_sun he_commanded Yəhōshūˊa and_took_down DOM body_his from the_tree and_threw DOM_it to the_entrance of_the_gate the_city and_raised on/upon/above_him/it a_heap of_stones great until the_day the_this.

8:11 Variant note: בינ/ו: (x-qere) ’בֵּינָ֥י/ו’: lemma_996 morph_HR/Sp3ms id_06PZV בֵּינָ֥י/ו

8:16 Variant note: ב/עיר: (x-qere) ’בָּ/עַ֔י’: lemma_b/5857 n_1.1 morph_HR/Np id_06JcF בָּ/עַ֔י


BMMBibleMapper.com Maps:

Map

The Israelites Conquer Ai

Joshua 8

[Author’s note: This map and article assume that Ai was located at Khirbet al-Maqatir and Bethel was located at al-Bira. It is beyond the scope of this article to present all the convincing reasons for these assumptions, but they are well summarized in the following articles: “Traditional Site of Bethel Questioned,” “Location of Biblical Bethel and Ai Reconsidered,” and “The Khirbet el-Maqatir Excavations.” The expected locations for Roman mile markers are also included on this map, which confirm that al-Bira is located precisely at the twelfth mile marker from Jerusalem, as Eusebius and Jerome both asserted. All other maps in this Atlas have been recently updated to use these same locations for Ai and Bethel.

Soon after the Israelites entered the Promised Land and captured the city of Jericho, they sent a force of only three thousand men to capture the much smaller fortified town of Ai (Joshua 7). They suffered defeat, however, and the Lord revealed to them that this happened because a man named Achan had taken some of the devoted items from Jericho. So Joshua took Achan and his family to the Valley of Achor and executed them there (see Israel Enters the Promised Land map). Later the Lord told Joshua to attack Ai again, because this time he was going to give them the town. It appears that Ai, which had a direct line of sight to the more powerful city of Jerusalem to the south, must have served as a sort of early warning outpost for the larger city. Thus, capturing Ai was critical to staging an effective battle campaign throughout southern Canaan. So Joshua advanced with thirty thousand troops during the night and camped north of the city, and he positioned a force of five thousand men in ambush between Bethel and Ai, just to the west of Ai. The men in ambush were also just east of the mountain where Abraham had pitched his tent centuries earlier (Genesis 12:8). Joshua himself spent the night in the valley between Ai and the main Israelite camp. Early the next morning, the king of Ai led all the inhabitants of the town in an attack on the main camp of the Israelites, who feigned retreat into the wilderness. After the Israelite army had drawn the people of Ai away from the town, the Israelites hiding in ambush rose up and captured Ai. They set the town on fire, sending a signal to the the main army of Israelites to turn back upon the forces of Ai. The Israelites completely destroyed the people of Ai and reduced the town to a burning heap of ruins.

JOS 8:1–8:29 ©

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