Yosua 8:10-17

8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered ¹  the army, ²  and he and the leaders ³  of Israel marched ⁴  at the head of it ⁵  to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. ⁶  They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. ⁷  8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel ⁸  and Ai. 8:13 The army was in position – the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into ⁹  the middle of the valley.

8:14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. ¹⁰  But he did not realize ¹¹  men were hiding behind the city. ¹²  8:15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 8:16 All the reinforcements ¹³  in Ai ¹⁴  were ordered ¹⁵  to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 8:17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; ¹⁶  they all went out after Israel. ¹⁷  They left the city wide open and chased Israel.

[8:10]  ¹ tn Or “summoned, mustered.”

[8:10]  ² tn Heb “the people.”

[8:10]  ³ tn Or “elders.”

[8:10]  ⁴ tn Heb “went up.”

[8:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “them” (referring to “the people” in the previous clause, which requires a plural pronoun). Since the translation used “army” in the previous clause, a singular pronoun (“it”) is required in English.

[8:11]  ⁶ tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”

[8:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “and the valley [was] between them and Ai.”

[8:12]  ⁸ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:13]  ⁹ tn Some Hebrew mss read, “spent the night in.”

[8:14]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “When the king of Ai saw, the men of Ai hurried and rose early and went out to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people at the meeting place before the Arabah.”

[8:14]  ¹¹ tn Or “know.”

[8:14]  ¹² tn Heb “that (there was) an ambush for him behind the city.”

[8:16]  ¹³ tn Heb “All the people.”

[8:16]  ¹⁴ tc Some textual witnesses read “the city.”

[8:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “were summoned”; or “were mustered.”

[8:17]  ¹⁶ tc The LXX omits the words “or Bethel.”

[8:17]  map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:17]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “who did not go out after Israel.”