Yosua 8:9-12

8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place ¹  west of Ai, between Bethel ²  and Ai. ³  Joshua spent that night with the army. ⁴ 

8:10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered ⁵  the army, ⁶  and he and the leaders ⁷  of Israel marched ⁸  at the head of it ⁹  to Ai. 8:11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. ¹⁰  They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. ¹¹  8:12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel ¹²  and Ai.

[8:9]  ¹ tn Or “the place of ambush.”

[8:9]  ² map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:9]  ³ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

[8:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”

[8:10]  ⁵ tn Or “summoned, mustered.”

[8:10]  ⁶ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:10]  ⁷ tn Or “elders.”

[8:10]  ⁸ tn Heb “went up.”

[8:10]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “All the people of war who were with him went up and approached and came opposite the city.”

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

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