Ang Pagsakop sa Ai
1Sinabi ng Panginoon kay Josue, “Huwag kang matakot o kayaʼy manghina. Isama mo ang lahat ng iyong sundalo at lusubin ulit ninyo ang Ai, dahil ibinigay ko na sa inyo ang hari ng Ai, ang kanyang mga mamamayan, ang kanyang bayan at ang kanyang lupain. 2Kung ano ang ginawa ninyo sa Jerico at sa hari nito, ganoon din ang gawin ninyo sa Ai. Pero sa pagkakataong ito, maaari na ninyong kunin ang kanilang mga ari-arian at mga hayop para sa inyong sarili. Maghanda kayo at tambangan ninyo sila sa likod ng lungsod.”
3Kaya umalis sila Josue at ang lahat ng sundalo niya para lusubin ang Ai. Pumili si Josue ng 30,000 sundalo na mahuhusay makipaglaban at pinaalis nang gabi. 4Ito ang bilin ni Josue sa kanila, “Magtago kayo sa likod ng lungsod, pero huwag masyadong malayo. Humanda kayo sa paglusob kahit anong oras. 5Ako at ang mga kasama ko ay lulusob sa harapan. Kung lalabas na sila sa pakikipaglaban sa amin, tatakas kami, gaya ng nangyari noon. 6Iisipin nilang natatakot kami kagaya noon, kaya hahabulin nila kami hanggang sa makalayo sila sa lungsod. 7Pagkatapos, lumabas kayo sa pinagtataguan nʼyo at sakupin ang lungsod. Ibibigay ito sa inyo ng Panginoon na inyong Dios. 8Kapag nasakop nʼyo na ang lungsod, sunugin nʼyo ito ayon sa sinabi ng Panginoon. Tiyakin nʼyong gagawin ito ayon sa iniutos.” 9Pinaalis sila ni Josue, at nagtago sila sa bandang kanluran ng Ai, sa kalagitnaan ng Ai at Betel. At sina Josue naman ay nagpaiwan sa kampo nang gabing iyon.
10Kinaumagahan, maagang tinipon ni Josue ang mga tauhan niya. Pinangunahan niya at ng mga pinuno ng Israel ang mga tao sa pagpunta nila sa Ai. 11Nakarating sila sa lugar na nakaharap sa lungsod, sa bandang hilaga nito, at doon sila nagtayo ng mga tolda. May lambak na nakapagitan sa kanila at sa Ai. 12Nagpadala si Josue ng 5,000 sundalo para tambangan ang lungsod sa bandang kanluran nito, sa kalagitnaan ng Ai at Betel. 13Kaya pumwesto na ang mga sundalo. Ang ibang mga sundalo ay nasa bandang hilaga ng lungsod, at ang iba naman ay naroon sa bandang kanluran nito.
Nang gabing iyon pumunta sina Josue sa lambak. 14Nang makita ng hari ng Ai sina Josue, maaga paʼy agad-agad na siyang lumabas sa lungsod kasama ang mga tauhan niya, at pumunta sa lugar na nakaharap sa Lambak ng Jordan8:14 Lambak ng Jordan: sa Hebreo, Araba. para makipaglaban sa Israel. Hindi nila alam na may lulusob sa kanila galing sa likod ng lungsod. 15Sina Josue at ang mga tauhan niya ay nagkunwaring natalo sila, at tumakas papuntang ilang. 16Kaya hinabol silang lahat ng kalalakihan ng Ai hanggang sa unti-unti silang lumalayo sa lungsod. 17Lahat ng kalalakihan sa Ai at sa Betel ay hinabol ang mga Israelita, kaya walang naiwan para ipagtanggol ang lungsod.
18Sinabi ng Panginoon kay Josue, “Ituro mo ang sibat mo sa Ai dahil ibibigay ko ito sa inyo.” Kaya itinuro ni Josue ang sibat niya sa Ai. 19Nang ginawa niya iyon, lumabas at nagsitakbo ang mga tauhan niyang nananambang sa bayan, lumusob sila papasok sa lungsod, at dali-daling sinunog ito. 20Nang lumingon ang mga taga-Ai, nakita nila ang makapal na usok sa ibabaw ng lungsod. Wala na silang matatakbuhan, dahil bigla na lang silang hinarap ng mga Israelita na hinahabol nila sa ilang. 21Dahil nang makita ni Josue at ng mga tauhan niya na nakapasok na sa lungsod ang mga kasama nila at sinunog na nila ito, bumalik sila at nilusob ang mga taga-Ai. 22Lumusob din ang mga Israelitang pumasok sa lungsod, kaya napagitnaan nila ang mga taga-Ai. Pinatay nilang lahat ang mga ito at walang nakatakas o kayaʼy naiwang buhay sa kanila, 23bukod lang sa hari nila. Binihag siya at dinala kay Josue.
24Nang mapatay na nilang lahat ang taga-Ai na humabol sa kanila sa ilang, bumalik sila sa lungsod at pinatay din ang lahat ng naiwan doon. 25Nang araw na iyon, namatay ang lahat ng naninirahan sa Ai – 12,000 lahat, lalaki at babae. 26Nanatiling nakatutok ang sibat ni Josue sa lugar ng Ai hanggang hindi nalilipol ang lahat ng mamamayan nito. 27Kinuha ng mga Israelita ang mga hayop at mga ari-arian ng lungsod, ayon sa sinabi ng Panginoon kay Josue. 28Pagkatapos, ipinasunog ni Josue ang buong Ai, at hindi na ito muling maitatayo; hanggang ngayon wala nang nakatira rito. 29Pinabitin ni Josue sa isang puno ang hari at pinabayaan doon maghapon. Paglubog ng araw, ipinakuha niya ang bangkay at ipinatapon sa labas ng pintuan ng lungsod. Pinatambakan nila ito ng malaking bunton ng mga bato, at hanggang ngayon ay makikita pa roon ang mga batong ito.
Binasa ang Kasunduan sa Bundok ng Ebal
30Pagkatapos, nagpagawa si Josue ng altar sa Bundok ng Ebal para sa Panginoon, ang Dios ng Israel. 31Ipinagawa niya ito ayon sa utos ni Moises na lingkod ng Panginoon sa mga Israelita. Nakasulat ito sa Aklat ng Kautusan ni Moises at ito ang sinasabi: “Gumawa ka ng altar na bato na hindi natabasan ng gamit na bakal.” Sa ibabaw ng altar, nag-alay sila sa Panginoon ng mga handog na sinusunog at mga handog para sa mabuting relasyon. 32Sa harap ng mga Israelita, kinopya ni Josue sa mga bato8:32 sa mga bato: o, sa mga bato ng altar. ang kautusang isinulat ni Moises. 33Ang lahat ng mga Israelita, kasama ang kanilang mga tagapamahala, mga opisyal at mga hukom nila, pati ang mga dayuhang kasama nila ay tumayo sa dalawang grupo na magkaharap. Ang isang grupo ay nakatalikod sa Bundok ng Gerizim at ang isaʼy nakatalikod sa Bundok ng Ebal. Sa gitna nila ay nakatayo ang mga paring Levita na nagbubuhat ng Kahon ng Kasunduan. Nag-utos sa kanila noon si Moises na lingkod ng Panginoon na gawin ito sa panahong tatanggapin na nila ang pagbabasbas.
34Binasa ni Josue ang Aklat ng Kasunduan, pati ang pagpapala at sumpa na nakasulat dito. 35Isa-isang binasa ni Josue ang mga utos ni Moises sa harap ng buong mamamayan ng Israelita, kasama na ang mga babae, anak at mga dayuhang naninirahan kasama nila.
Israel Destroys Ai
1Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid. Do not lose hope. Go up and attack Ai. Take the whole army with you. I have handed the king of Ai over to you. I have given you his people, his city and his land. 2Remember what you did to Jericho and its king. You will do the same thing to Ai and its king. But this time you can keep for yourselves the livestock and everything else you take from them. Have some of your fighting men hide behind the city and take them by surprise.”
3So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose 30,000 of his best fighting men. He sent them out at night. 4He gave them orders. He said, “Listen carefully to what I’m saying. You must hide behind the city. Don’t go very far away from it. All of you must be ready to attack it. 5I and all those with me will march up to the city. The men of Ai will come out to fight against us, just as they did before. Then we’ll run away from them. 6They’ll chase us until we’ve drawn them away from the city. They’ll say, ‘They are running away from us, just as they did before.’ When we run away from them, 7come out of your hiding place. Capture the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8When you have taken it, set it on fire. Do what the Lord has commanded. Make sure you obey my orders.”
9Then Joshua sent them away. They went to the place where they had planned to hide. They hid in a place west of Ai. It was between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua spent that night with his troops.
10Early the next morning Joshua brought together his army. He and the leaders of Israel marched in front of them to Ai. 11The whole army that was with him marched up to the city. They stopped in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai. There was a valley between them and the city. 12Joshua had chosen about 5,000 soldiers. He had ordered them to hide in a place west of Ai. It was between Bethel and Ai. 13The men took up their battle positions. All the men in the camp north of the city took up their positions. So did those who were supposed to hide west of the city. That night Joshua went into the valley.
14The king of Ai saw what the troops with Joshua were doing. So the king and all his men hurried out of the city early in the morning. They marched out to meet Israel in battle. They went to a place that looked out over the Arabah Valley. The king didn’t know that some of Israel’s fighting men were hiding behind the city. 15Joshua and all his men let the men of Ai drive them back. The Israelites ran away toward the desert. 16All the men of Ai were called out to chase them. They chased Joshua. So they were drawn away from the city. 17Not even one man remained in Ai or Bethel. All of them went out to chase Israel. When they did, they left the city wide open.
18Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin that is in your hand. I will give the city to you.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin in his hand. 19As soon as he did, the men hiding behind the city got up quickly. They came out of their hiding places and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it. They quickly set it on fire.
20The men of Ai looked back. They saw smoke rising up from the city into the sky. But they couldn’t escape in any direction. The Israelites had been running away toward the desert. But now they turned around to face those chasing them. 21Joshua and all his men saw that the men who had been hiding behind the city had captured it. They also saw that smoke was going up from it. So they turned around and attacked the men of Ai. 22The men who had set Ai on fire came out of the city. They also fought against the men of Ai. So the men of Ai were caught in the middle. The army of Israel was on both sides of them. Israel struck them down. They didn’t let anyone remain alive or get away. 23But they captured the king of Ai alive. They brought him to Joshua.
24Israel finished killing all the men of Ai. They destroyed them in the fields and in the desert where they had chased them. They struck down every one of them with their swords. Then all the Israelites returned to Ai. And they killed those who were left in it. 25The total number of men and women they killed that day was 12,000. The Israelites put to death all the people of Ai. 26Joshua continued to hold out his javelin toward Ai. He didn’t lower his hand until he and his men had totally destroyed everyone who lived there. 27But this time Israel kept for themselves the livestock and everything else they had taken from the city. The Lord had directed Joshua to let them do it.
28So Joshua burned down Ai. He tore it down so it could never be built again. It has been deserted to this very day. 29Joshua killed the king of Ai. He stuck a pole through the body. Then he set it up where people could see it. He left it there until evening. At sunset, Joshua ordered his men to remove the body from the pole. He told them to throw the body down at the entrance of the city gate. They put a large pile of rocks over the body. That pile is still there to this day.
Joshua Reads the Book of the Law to the People
30Joshua built an altar to honor the Lord, the God of Israel. He built it on Mount Ebal. 31Moses, the servant of the Lord, had commanded the Israelites to do that. Joshua built the altar according to what is written in the Book of the Law of Moses. Joshua built the altar out of stones that iron tools had never touched. Then the people offered on the altar burnt offerings to the Lord. They also sacrificed friendship offerings on it. 32Joshua copied the law of Moses on stones. He did it while all the Israelites were watching. 33They were standing on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the Lord. All the Israelites, including outsiders and citizens, were there. Israel’s elders, officials and judges were also there. All of them faced the priests, who were Levites. They were carrying the ark. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim. The other half stood in front of Mount Ebal. Moses, the servant of the Lord, had earlier told them to do it. Moses told them to do it when he had given directions to bless the Israelites.
34Then Joshua read all the words of the law out loud. He read the blessings and the curses. He read them just as they are written in the Book of the Law. 35Joshua read every word Moses had commanded. He read them to the whole community of Israel. That included the women and children. It also included the outsiders living among them.
