Thematic Bible: At ai

And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst unto Jericho and her king. Nevertheless the spoil and cattle thereof, ye shall take unto yourselves. But lay a watch unto the town on the backside thereof." And then Joshua arose and all the men of war, to go up unto Ai. And Joshua chose out thirty thousand men of war, and sent them by night. And he commanded them, saying, "See that ye lie await unto the town on the backside thereof. Go not very far from the city, and see that ye be all ready. read more.
And I and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city. And when they come out against us, as at the first time, then will we flee before them. And they will come out after us, until we have plucked them away from the city. For they will say, 'They flee before us, as at the first time': for we will flee before them. Then shall ye rise up from lying await and destroy the city: For the LORD your God will deliver it into your hands. As soon, therefore, as ye have taken the city, see that ye set it on fire. According to the commandment of the LORD see that ye do: behold, I have charged you." And Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie await, and lay between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai. But Joshua lodged that night among the people. And he rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up, both he and the elders of Israel before the people, unto Ai. And all the men of war that were with him, went up and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai, a valley being between them and Ai, and he took upon a five thousand men and put them to lie await, between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city. And he put the people, even all the host, on the north side of the city, and the lyers-await on the west. And Joshua went the same night into the midst of the valley. And when the king of Ai saw that they hasted and rose up early, then the people of the city went out against Israel, to battle, both the king and all his people, at a time appointed, even before the plain, and wist not that there were lyers-await on the backside of the city. And Joshua and Israel were put to the worse before them, and fled toward the wilderness. And all the people of the town cried to follow after them. And they followed after Joshua till they were drawn away from the city: So that there was not a man left in Ai, or in Bethel, that went not out after Israel. And they left the city open and followed after Israel. Then the LORD said unto Joshua, "Stretch out the spear that is in thine hand toward Ai, for I have given thee it." And Joshua stretched out the spear that was in his hand, toward the city. And the lyers-await rose quickly out of their places, and ran, as soon as Joshua had stretched out his hand, and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set it on fire. And when the men of Ai looked back after them and saw, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven. And they had no place to flee either this way or that, for the people that fled to the wilderness turned back again upon the followers. And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the lyers-await had taken the city and that the smoke of it ascended, they turned again and laid on the men of Ai. And the other issued out of the city against them. And so were they in the midst of Israel, these being on the one side of them, and the rest on the other. And they laid upon them, so that they let none either remain or escape.