艾城之战
1耶和华对约书亚说：“不要害怕，也不用沮丧。只管率领全军去攻打艾城，我已经将艾城的王、他的人民、城池和土地都交在你手里了。 2你怎样对待耶利哥和耶利哥王，也要照样对待艾城和艾城的王。不过你们可以拿去城中的财物和牲畜。你要在城后设下伏兵。”
3于是，约书亚率领全军前往艾城。他挑选了三万精兵，派他们在黑夜出发， 4并吩咐他们说：“你们要在城后埋伏，不可离城太远，要随时准备行动。 5我会率领军队正面攻城，当敌人像上次那样出城应战时，我们便逃跑。 6他们必定乘胜追击，我们便引他们离城，因为敌人一定会以为我们又像上次一样临阵逃跑。 7那时，你们便从埋伏的地方冲出来攻占艾城，你们的上帝耶和华一定会把艾城交在你们手里。 8你们攻陷艾城以后，要照耶和华的话放火焚城。这是我的命令。” 9于是，约书亚派遣他们出去。他们去埋伏在伯特利和艾城之间，就是艾城的西面。那一夜，约书亚住在民众当中。
10第二天清早，约书亚召集民众，与以色列的众首领率领全军前往艾城。 11他们来到城外，在城的北面扎营，与艾城相隔一个山谷。 12约书亚选了五千人，让他们埋伏在艾城和伯特利之间，就是艾城的西面。 13于是，城北的主力军队和城西的伏兵都部署好了。当晚，约书亚在山谷里过夜。 14艾城的王见以色列人兵临城下，清早便急忙和全城的人起来出城迎战，在亚拉巴谷附近跟以色列军交锋，他不知道城后有伏兵。 15约书亚带领以色列军诈败，沿着通往旷野的路逃跑。 16艾城的人都被召去追赶以色列人，他们都被诱出城。 17这样，伯特利和艾城的人倾巢而出，追杀以色列人，他们的城门大开。
18耶和华对约书亚说：“把你手中的矛指向艾城，因为我要将这城交在你手里。”约书亚就把手中的矛指向艾城。 19他一伸手，城后的伏兵立即行动，迅速冲进城去，一举占领艾城，并放火烧城。 20艾城的人回头发现城内烟气冲天，却无路可逃，因为那些诈败的以色列人已掉头攻击他们。 21约书亚和全军见伏兵已经占领艾城，城中浓烟滚滚，便掉头攻击艾城的人。 22伏兵也出城追击艾城的人。以色列军前后夹攻，把敌人围困在中间全部歼灭，无一漏网。 23他们生擒了艾城的王，将他押到约书亚那里。
24以色列军在田间和旷野杀尽了追赶他们的艾城人后，又进城杀了留在城里的人， 25当天被杀的艾城人男男女女共有一万二千人。 26一直到艾城所有的人都被杀光了，约书亚才收回手中的矛。 27以色列人照耶和华对约书亚的吩咐，只带走了城中的牲畜和财物。 28约书亚烧毁全城，使城永远成为一堆废墟，至今仍一片荒凉。 29约书亚又将艾城王的尸体挂在树上示众。黄昏时，他才吩咐人把尸体取下来丢在城门口，又在尸体上堆了一大堆石头。石堆至今还在。
重申律法
30-31约书亚照耶和华的仆人摩西在律法书上吩咐以色列人的话，用未经铁器凿过的完整石头，在以巴路山上为以色列的上帝耶和华筑了一座祭坛。以色列人就在这坛上把燔祭和平安祭献给耶和华。 32约书亚又在众人面前，将摩西所写的律法刻在石头上。 33所有的以色列人，无论本族人、外族人、长老、官员或审判官，都站在耶和华的约柜两旁，面对着抬约柜的利未祭司。照耶和华的仆人摩西从前祝福他们时的吩咐，他们一半人站在基利心山前，一半人站在以巴路山前。 34随后，约书亚向民众宣读记在摩西律法书上的一切祝福和咒诅。 35他在全体会众，包括妇女、小孩以及住在他们中间的外族人面前，一字不漏地宣读摩西的一切吩咐。
1And 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: 2And 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. 4And 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: 5And 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.8.6 drawn: Heb. pulled 7Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8And 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. 10And 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. 11And 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. 12And 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.8.12 of…: or, of Ai 13And 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.8.13 liers…: Heb. lying in wait
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. 15And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16And 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. 17And 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. 18And 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. 19And 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. 20And 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.8.20 power: Heb. hand 21And 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. 22And 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.
23And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 24And 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. 25And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27Only 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. 28And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 29And 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, 31As 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. 33And 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. 34And 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. 35There 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.8.35 were…: Heb. walked
