The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

Then Ioshua tooke Achan the sonne of Zerah, and the siluer, and the garment and the wedge of golde and his sonnes, and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheepe, and his tent, and all that hee had: and all Israel with him brought them vnto the valley of Achor.

And Ioshua said, In as much as thou hast troubled vs, the Lord shall trouble thee this day: and all Israel threwe stones at him, and burned them with fire, and stoned them with stones.

And they cast vpon him a great heape of stones vnto this day: and so the Lord turned from his fierce wrath: therefore hee called the name of that place, The valley of Achor, vnto this day.

After, the Lord saide vnto Ioshua, Feare not, neither bee thou faint hearted: take all the men of warre with thee and arise, go vp to Ai: beholde, I haue giuen into thine hand the King of Ai, and his people, and his citie, and his land.

And thou shalt doe to Ai and to the King thereof, as thou didst vnto Iericho and to the King thereof: neuerthelesse the spoyle thereof and the cattell thereof shall ye take vnto you for a praye: thou shalt lye in wait against the citie on the backside thereof.

Then Ioshua arose, and all the men of warre to goe vp against Ai: and Ioshua chose out thirtie thousand strong men, and valiant, and sent them away by night.

And he commanded them, saying, Behold, yee shall lye in waite against the citie on the backeside of the citie: goe not very farre from the citie, but be ye all in a readinesse.

And I and all the people that are with me, will approche vnto the citie: and when they shall come out against vs, as they did at the first time, then will we flee before them.

For they wil come out after vs, till we haue brought them out of the citie: for they will say, They flee before vs as at the first time: so we will flee before them.

Then you shall rise vp from lying in waite and destroy the citie: for the Lord your God wil deliuer it into your hand.

And when ye haue taken the citie, ye shall set it on fire: according to the commandement of the Lord shall ye do: behold, I haue charged you.

Ioshua then sent them foorth, and they went to lye in waite, and abode betweene Beth-el and Ai, on the Westside of Ai: but Ioshua lodged that night among the people.

And Ioshua rose vp early in the morning, and nombred the people: and he and the Elders of Israel went vp before the people against Ai.

Also all the men of warre that were with him went vp and drewe neere, and came against the citie, and pitched on the Northside of Ai: and there was a valley betweene them and Ai.

And hee tooke about fiue thousande men, and set them to lye in waite betweene Beth-el and Ai, on the Westside of the citie.

And the people set all the hoste that was on the Northside against the citie, and the liers in waite on the West, against the citie: and Ioshua went the same night into the mids of the valley.

And when the King of Ai sawe it, then the men of the citie hasted and rose vp earely, and went out against Israel to battell, hee and all his people at the time appointed, before the plaine: for he knew not that any lay in waite against him on the backeside of the citie.

Then Ioshua and all Israel as beaten before them, fled by the way of the wildernes.

And all the people of the citie were called together, to pursue after them: and they pursued after Ioshua, and were drawen away out of the city,

So that there was not a man left in Ai, nor in Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the citie open, and pursued after Israel.

Then the Lord said vnto Ioshua, Stretch out the speare that is in thine hande, towarde Ai: for I wil giue it into thine hand: and Ioshua stretched out the speare that hee had in his hand, toward the citie.

And they that lay in wait, arose quickly out of their place, and ranne as soone as he had stretched out his hand, and they entred into the citie, and tooke it, and hasted, and set the citie on fire.

And the men of Ai looked behinde them, and sawe it: for loe, the smoke of the citie ascended vp to heauen, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: for the people that fled to the wildernesse, turned backe vpon the pursuers.

When Ioshua and all Israel sawe that they that lay in waite, had taken the citie, and that the smoke of the citie mounted vp, then they turned againe and slewe the men of Ai.

Also the other issued out of the citie against them: so were they in the middes of Israel, these being on the one side, and the rest on the other side: and they slewe them, so that they let none of them remaine nor escape.

And the King of Ai they tooke aliue, and brought him to Ioshua.

And when Israel had made an ende of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the fielde, that is, in the wildernesse, where they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sworde, vntill they were consumed, all the Israelites returned vnto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sworde.

And all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelue thousande, euen all the men of Ai.

For Ioshua drewe not his hande backe againe which he had stretched out with the speare, vntill hee had vtterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.

Onely the cattell and the spoyle of this citie, Israel tooke for a praye vnto themselues, according vnto the worde of the Lord, which hee commanded Ioshua.

And Ioshua burnt Ai, and made it an heape for euer, and a wildernes vnto this day.

And the King of Ai hee hanged on a tree, vnto the euening. And as soone as the sunne was down, Ioshua commanded that they should take his carkeis downe from the tree, and cast it at the entring of ye gate of the city, and lay thereon a great heape of stones, that remaineth vnto this day.

Then Ioshua built an altar vnto the Lord God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

As Moses the seruant of the Lord had commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the booke of the Lawe of Moses, an altar of whole stone, ouer which no man had lift an yron: and they offered thereon burnt offrings vnto the Lord, and sacrificed peace offerings.

Also he wrote there vpon the stones, a rehearsall of the Lawe of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel.

And all Israel (and their Elders, and officers and their iudges stoode on this side of the Arke, and on that side, before the Priestes of the Leuites, which bare the Arke of the couenant of the Lord) as well the stranger, as he that is borne in the countrey: halfe of them were ouer against mount Gerizim, and halfe of them ouer against mount Ebal, as Moses the seruant of the Lord had commanded before, that they should blesse the people of Israel.

Then afterwarde hee read all the wordes of the Lawe, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the booke of the Lawe.

There was not a worde of all that Moses had commanded, which Ioshua read not before all the Congregation of Israel, as well before the women and the children, as the stranger that was conuersant among them.

And when all the Kings that were beyonde Iorden, in the mountaines and in the valleis, and by all the coastes of the great Sea ouer against Lebanon (as the Hittites, and the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hiuites, and the Iebusites) heard thereof,

They gathered themselues together, to fight against Ioshua, and against Israel with one accord.

But the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Ioshua had done vnto Iericho, and to Ai.

And therefore they wrought craftily: for they went, and fayned themselues ambassadours, and tooke olde sackes vpon their asses, and olde bottels for wine, both rent and bound vp,

And olde shoes and clouted vpon their feete: also the raiment vpon them was old, and all their prouision of bread was dried, and mouled.

So they came vnto Ioshua into the hoste to Gilgal, and said vnto him, and vnto the men of Israel, Wee be come from a farre countrey: nowe therefore make a league with vs.

Then the men of Israel said vnto the Hiuites, It may be that thou dwellest among vs, how then can I make a league with thee?

And they said vnto Ioshua, We are thy seruants. Then Ioshua saide vnto them, Who are ye? and whence come ye?

And they answered him, From a very farre countrey thy seruants are come for the Name of the Lord thy God: for we haue heard his fame and all that he hath done in Egypt,

And all that he hath done to the two Kings of the Amorites that were beyonde Iorden, to Sihon King of Heshbon, and to Og King of Bashan, which were at Ashtaroth.

Wherefore our elders, and all the inhabitants of our countrey spake to vs, saying, Take vitailes with you for the iourney, and go to meete them, and say vnto them, Wee are your seruants: now therefore make ye a league with vs.

This our bread we tooke it hote with vs for vittailes out of our houses, the day we departed to come vnto you: but nowe beholde, it is dried, and it is mouled.

Also these bottels of wine which we filled, were newe, and lo, they be rent, and these our garments and our shooes are olde, by reason of the exceeding great iourney.

And the men accepted their tale concerning their vittailes, and counselled not with the mouth of the Lord.

So Ioshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, that he would suffer them to liue: also the Princes of the Congregation sware vnto them.

But at the end of three dayes, after they had made a league with them, they heard that they were their neighbours, and that they dwelt among them.

And the children of Israel tooke their iourney, and came vnto their cities the third day, and their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth and Kiriath-iearim.

And the children of Israel slewe them not, because the Princes of the Congregation had sworne vnto them by the Lord God of Israel: wherefore all the Congregation murmured against the Princes.

Then all the Princes said vnto all the Congregation, We haue sworne vnto them by the Lord God of Israel: nowe therefore we may not touch them.

But this we wil doe to them, and let them liue, least the wrath be vpon vs because of the othe which we sware vnto them.

And the Princes sayd vnto them againe, Let them liue, but they shall hewe wood, and drawe water vnto all the Congregation, as the Princes appoint them.

Ioshua then called them, and talked with them, and sayd, Wherefore haue ye beguiled vs, saying, We are very farre from you, when ye dwel among vs?

Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the house of my God.

And they answered Ioshua, and sayd, Because it was tolde thy seruants, that the Lord thy God had commanded his seruant Moses to giue you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land out of your sight, therefore we were exceeding sore afraid for our liues at the presence of you, and haue done this thing:

And beholde nowe, we are in thine hand: doe as it seemeth good and right in thine eyes to doe vnto vs.

Euen so did he vnto them, and deliuered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slewe them not.

And Ioshua appointed them that same day to be hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the Congregation, and for the altar of the Lord vnto this day, in the place which he should chuse.

Now when Adoni-zedek King of Ierusalem had heard how Ioshua had taken Ai and had destroyed it, (for as he had done to Iericho and to the King thereof, so he had done to Ai and to the King thereof) and howe the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them,

Then they feared exceedingly: for Gibeon was a great citie, as one of the royall cities: for it was greater then Ai, and all the men thereof were mightie.

Wherefore Adoni-zedek King of Ierusalem sent vnto Hoham King of Hebron, and vnto Piram King of Iarmuth, and vnto Iapia King of Lachish, and vnto Debir King of Eglon, saying,

Come vp vnto me, and helpe me, that we may smite Gibeon: for they haue made peace with Ioshua and with the children of Israel.

Therefore the fiue Kings of the Amorites, the King of Ierusalem, the King of Hebron, the King of Iarmuth, the King of Lachish, and the King of Eglon gathered themselues together, and went vp, they with all their hostes, and besieged Gibeon, and made warre against it.

And the men of Gibeon sent vnto Ioshua, euen to the hoste to Gilgal, saying, Withdrawe not thine hand from thy seruants: come vp to vs quickly, and saue vs, and helpe vs: for all the Kings of the Amorites which dwell in the mountaines, are gathered together against vs.

So Ioshua ascended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of warre with him, and all the men of might.

And the Lord sayd vnto Ioshua, Feare them not: for I haue giuen them into thine hand: none of them shall stand against thee.

Ioshua therefore came vnto them suddenly: for he went vp from Gilgal all the night.

And the Lord discomfited them before Israel, and slew them with a great slaughter at Gibeon, and chased them along the way that goeth vp to Beth-horon, and smote them to Azekah and to Makkedah.

And as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going downe to Beth-horon, the Lord cast downe great stones from heauen vpon them, vntill Azekah, and they dyed: they were more that dyed with the hailestones, then they whom the children of Israel slewe with the sword.

Then spake Ioshua to the Lord, in the day when the Lord gaue the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he sayd in the sight of Israel, Sunne, stay thou in Gibeon, and thou moone, in the valley of Aialon.

And the Sunne abode, and the moone stood still, vntill the people auenged themselues vpon their enemies: (Is not this written in the booke of Iasher?) so the Sunne abode in the middes of the heauen, and hasted not to goe downe for a whole day.

And there was no day like that before it, nor after it, that the Lord heard the voyce of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel.

After, Ioshua returned, and all Israel with him vnto the campe to Gilgal:

But the fiue Kings fled and were hid in a caue at Makkedah.

And it was tolde Ioshua, saying, The fiue Kings are found hid in a caue at Makkedah.

Then Ioshua said, Roule great stones vpon the mouth of the caue, and set men by it for to keepe them.

But stand ye not still: follow after your enemies, and smite all the hindmost, suffer them not to enter into their cities: for the Lord your God hath giuen them into your hand.

And when Ioshua and the children of Israel had made an ende of slaying them with an exceeding great slaughter till they were consumed, and the rest that remained of them were entred into walled cities,

Then all the people returned to the campe, to Ioshua at Makkedah in peace: no man mooued his tongue against the children of Israel.

After, Ioshua sayd, Open the mouth of the caue, and bring out these fiue Kings vnto me forth of the caue.

And they did so, and brought out those fiue Kings vnto him forth of the caue, euen the King of Ierusalem, the King of Hebron, ye King of Iarmuth, the King of Lachish, and the King of Eglon.

And when they had brought out those Kings vnto Ioshua, Ioshua called for all the men of Israel, and sayd vnto the chiefe of the men of warre, which went with him, Come neere, set your feete vpon the necks of these Kings: and they came neere and set their feete vpon their necks.

And Ioshua sayd vnto them, Feare not, nor be faint hearted, but be strong and of a good courage: for thus will the Lord doe to all your enemies, against whome ye fight.

So then Ioshua smote them, and slewe them, and hanged them on fiue trees, and they hanged still vpon the trees vntill the euening.

And at the going downe of the sunne, Ioshua gaue commandement, that they should take them downe off the trees, and cast them into the caue (wherein they had bene hid) and they layde great stones vpon the caues mouth, which remaine vntill this day.

And that same day Ioshua tooke Makkedah and smote it with the edge of the sword, and the King thereof destroyed he with them, and all the soules that were therein, he let none remaine: for hee did to the King of Makkedah as he had done vnto the King of Iericho.

Then Ioshua went from Makkedah, and all Israel with him vnto Libnah, and fought against Libnah.

And the Lord gaue it also and the King thereof into the hand of Israel: and he smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the soules that were therein: he let none remaine in it: for he did vnto the King thereof, as he had done vnto the King of Iericho.

And Ioshua departed from Libnah, and all Israel with him vnto Lachish, and besieged it, and assaulted it.

And the Lord gaue Lachish into the hand of Israel, which tooke it the second day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the soules that were therein, according to all as he had done to Libnah.

Then Horam King of Gezer came vp to helpe Lachish: but Ioshua smote him and his people, vntill none of his remained.

And from Lachish Ioshua departed vnto Eglon, and all Israel with him, and they besieged it, and assaulted it,

And they tooke it the same day, and smote it with the edge of the sword, and all the soules that were therein he vtterly destroyed the same day, according to all that he had done to Lachish.