The Bible (Old and New Testaments)

And Joshua taketh Achan son of Zerah, and the silver, and the robe, and the wedge of gold, and his sons, and his daughters, and his ox, and his ass, and his flock, and his tent, and all that he hath, and all Israel with him, and they cause them to go up the valley of Achor.

And Joshua saith, 'What! thou hast troubled us! — Jehovah doth trouble thee this day;' and all Israel cast stones at him, and they burn them with fire, and they stone them with stones,

and they raise up over him a great heap of stones unto this day, and Jehovah turneth back from the heat of His anger, therefore hath [one] called the name of that place 'Valley of Achor' till this day.

And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'Fear not, nor be affrighted, take with thee all the people of war, and rise, go up to Ai; see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land,

and thou hast done to Ai and to her king as thou hast done to Jericho and to her king; only, its spoil and its cattle ye spoil for yourselves; set for thee an ambush for the city at its rear.'

And Joshua riseth, and all the people of war, to go up to Ai, and Joshua chooseth thirty thousand men, mighty ones of valour, and sendeth them away by night,

and commandeth them, saying, 'See, ye are liers in wait against the city, at the rear of the city, ye go not very far off from the city, and all of you have been prepared,

and I and all the people who [are] with me draw near unto the city, and it hath come to pass when they come out to meet us as at the first, and we have fled before them,

and they have come out after us till we have drawn them out of the city, for they say, They are fleeing before us as at the first, and we have fled before them,

and ye rise from the ambush, and have occupied the city, and Jehovah your God hath given it into your hand;

and it hath been, when ye capture the city, ye burn the city with fire, according to the word of Jehovah ye do, see, I have commanded you.'

And Joshua sendeth them away, and they go unto the ambush, and abide between Bethel and Ai, on the west of Ai; and Joshua lodgeth on that night in the midst of the people.

And Joshua riseth early in the morning, and inspecteth the people, and goeth up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai;

and all the people of war who [are] with him have gone up, and draw nigh and come in over-against the city, and encamp on the north of Ai; and the valley [is] between him and Ai.

And he taketh about five thousand men, and setteth them an ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west of the city;

and they set the people, all the camp which [is] on the north of the city, and its rear on the west of the city, and Joshua goeth on that night into the midst of the valley.

And it cometh to pass, when the king of Ai seeth [it], that hasten, and rise early, and go out do the men of the city to meet Israel for battle, he and all his people, at the appointed season, at the front of the plain, and he hath not known that an ambush [is] against him, on the rear of the city.

And Joshua and all Israel [seem] stricken before them, and flee the way of the wilderness,

and all the people who [are] in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of the city,

and there hath not been left a man in Ai and Bethel who hath not gone out after Israel, and they leave the city open, and pursue after Israel.

And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'Stretch out with the javelin which [is] in thy hand towards Ai, for into thy hand I give it;' and Joshua stretcheth out with the javelin which [is] in his hand toward the city,

and the ambush hath risen [with] haste, out of its place, and they run at the stretching out of his hand, and go into the city, and capture it, and hasten, and burn the city with fire.

And the men of Ai look behind them, and see, and lo, the smoke of the city hath gone up unto the heavens, and there hath not been in them power to flee hither and thither — and the people who are fleeing to the wilderness have turned against the pursuer, —

and Joshua and all Israel have seen that the ambush hath captured the city, and that the smoke of the city hath gone up, and they turn back and smite the men of Ai;

and these have come out from the city to meet them, and they are in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that, and they smite them till he hath not left to them a remnant and escaped one;

and the king of Ai they caught alive, and bring him near unto Joshua.

And it cometh to pass, at Israel's finishing to slay all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness in which they pursued them (and they fall all of them by the mouth of the sword till their consumption), that all Israel turn back to Ai, and smite it by the mouth of the sword;

and all who fall during the day, of men and of women, are twelve thousand — all men of Ai.

And Joshua hath not brought back his hand which he stretched out with the javelin till that he hath devoted all the inhabitants of Ai;

only, the cattle and the spoil of that city have Israel spoiled for themselves, according to the word of Jehovah which He commanded Joshua.

And Joshua burneth Ai, and maketh it a heap age-during — a desolation unto this day;

and the king of Ai he hath hanged on the tree till even-time, and at the going in of the sun hath Joshua commanded, and they take down his carcase from the tree, and cast it unto the opening of the gate of the city, and raise over it a great heap of stones till this day.

Then doth Joshua build an altar to Jehovah, God of Israel, in mount Ebal,

as Moses, servant of Jehovah, commanded the sons of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses — an altar of whole stones, over which he hath not waved iron — and they cause to go up upon it burnt-offerings to Jehovah, and sacrifice peace-offerings;

and he writeth there on the stones the copy of the law of Moses, which he hath written in the presence of the sons of Israel.

And all Israel, and its elders, and authorities, and its judges, are standing on this side and on that of the ark, over-against the priests, the Levites, bearing the ark of the covenant of Jehovah, as well the sojourner as the native, half of them over-against mount Gerizim, and the half of them over-against mount Ebal, as Moses servant of Jehovah commanded to bless the people of Israel at the first.

And afterwards he hath proclaimed all the words of the law, the blessing and the reviling, according to all that is written in the book of the law;

there hath not been a thing of all that Moses commanded which Joshua hath not proclaimed before all the assembly of Israel, and the women, and the infants, and the sojourner who is going in their midst.

And it cometh to pass, when all the kings who [are] beyond the Jordan, in the hill-country, and in the low-country, and in every haven of the great sea, over-against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, hear —

that they gather themselves together to fight with Joshua, and with Israel — one mouth.

And the inhabitants of Gibeon have heard that which Joshua hath done to Jericho and to Ai,

and they work, even they, with subtilty, and go, and feign to be ambassadors, and take old sacks for their asses, and wine-bottles, old, and rent, and bound up,

and sandals, old and patched, on their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision is dry — it was crumbs.

And they go unto Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal, and say unto him, and unto the men of Israel, 'From a land far off we have come, and now, make with us a covenant;'

and the men of Israel say unto the Hivite, 'It may be in our midst ye are dwelling, and how do we make with thee a covenant?'

and they say unto Joshua, 'Thy servants we [are].' And Joshua saith unto them, 'Who [are] ye? and whence come ye?'

And they say unto him, 'From a land very far off have thy servants come, for the name of Jehovah thy God, for we have heard His fame, and all that He hath done in Egypt,

and all that He hath done to the two kings of the Amorite who [are] beyond the Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, who [is] in Ashtaroth.

'And our elders, and all the inhabitants of our land speak unto us, saying, Take in your hand provision for the way, and go to meet them, and ye have said unto them, Your servants we [are], and now, make with us a covenant;

this our bread — hot we provided ourselves with it out of our houses, on the day of our coming out to go unto you, and now, lo, it is dry, and hath been crumbs;

and these [are] the wine-bottles which we filled, new, and lo, they have rent; and these, our garments and our sandals, have become old, from the exceeding greatness of the way.'

And the men take of their provision, and the mouth of Jehovah have not asked;

and Joshua maketh with them peace, and maketh with them a covenant, to keep them alive; and swear to them do the princes of the company.

And it cometh to pass, at the end of three days after that they have made with them a covenant, that they hear that they [are] their neighbours — that in their midst they are dwelling.

And the sons of Israel journey and come in unto their cities on the third day — and their cities [are] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, and Kirjath-Jearim —

and the sons of Israel have not smitten them, for sworn to them have the princes of the company by Jehovah God of Israel, and all the company murmur against the princes.

And all the princes say unto all the company, 'We — we have sworn to them by Jehovah, God of Israel; and now, we are not able to come against them;

this we do to them, and have kept them alive, and wrath is not upon us, because of the oath which we have sworn to them.'

And the princes say unto them, 'They live, and are hewers of wood and drawers of water for all the company, as the princes spake to them.'

And Joshua calleth for them, and speaketh unto them, saying, 'Why have ye deceived us, saying, We are very far from you, and ye in our midst dwelling?

and now, cursed are ye, and none of you is cut off [from being] a servant, even hewers of wood and drawers of water, for the house of my God.'

And they answer Joshua and say, 'Because it was certainly declared to thy servants, that Jehovah thy God commanded Moses His servant to give to you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; and we fear greatly for ourselves because of you, and we do this thing;

and now, lo, we [are] in thy hand, as [it is] good, and as [it is] right in thine eyes to do to us — do.'

And he doth to them so, and delivereth them from the hand of the sons of Israel, and they have not slain them;

and Joshua maketh them on that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the company, and for the altar of Jehovah, unto this day, at the place which He doth choose.

And it cometh to pass, when Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem heareth that Joshua hath captured Ai, and doth devote it (as he had done to Jericho and to her king so he hath done to Ai and to her king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon have made peace with Israel, and are in their midst, —

that they are greatly afraid, because Gibeon [is] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and because it [is] greater than Ai, and all its men — heroes.

And Adoni-Zedek king of Jerusalem sendeth unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Piram king of Jarmuth, and unto Japhia king of Lachish, and unto Debir king of Eglon, saying,

'Come up unto me, and help me, and we smite Gibeon, for it hath made peace with Joshua, and with the sons of Israel.'

And five kings of the Amorite (the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon) are gathered together, and go up, they and all their camps, and encamp against Gibeon, and fight against it.

And the men of Gibeon send unto Joshua, unto the camp at Gilgal, saying, 'Let not thy hand cease from thy servants; come up unto us [with] haste, and give safety to us, and help us; for all the kings of the Amorite, dwelling in the hill-country, have been assembled against us.'

And Joshua goeth up from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, even all the mighty men of valour.

And Jehovah saith unto Joshua, 'Be not afraid of them, for into thy hand I have given them, there doth not stand a man of them in thy presence.'

And Joshua cometh in unto them suddenly (all the night he hath gone up from Gilgal),

and Jehovah doth crush them before Israel, and it smiteth them — a great smiting — at Gibeon, and pursueth them the way of the ascent of Beth-Horon, and smiteth them unto Azekah, and unto Makkedah.

And it cometh to pass, in their fleeing from the face of Israel — they [are] in the descent of Beth-Horon — and Jehovah hath cast upon them great stones out of the heavens, unto Azekah, and they die; more are they who have died by the hailstones than they whom the sons of Israel have slain by the sword.

Then speaketh Joshua to Jehovah in the day of Jehovah's giving up the Amorites before the sons of Israel, and he saith, before the eyes of Israel, 'Sun — in Gibeon stand still; and moon — in the valley of Ajalon;'

and the sun standeth still, and the moon hath stood — till the nation taketh vengeance [on] its enemies; is it not written on the Book of the Upright, 'and the sun standeth in the midst of the heavens, and hath not hasted to go in — as a perfect day?'

And there hath not been like that day before it or after it, for Jehovah's hearkening to the voice of a man; for Jehovah is fighting for Israel.

And Joshua turneth back, and all Israel with him, unto the camp at Gilgal.

And these five kings flee, and are hidden in a cave at Makkedah,

and it is declared to Joshua, saying, 'The five kings have been found hidden in a cave at Makkedah.'

And Joshua saith, 'Roll great stones unto the mouth of the cave, and appoint over it men to watch them;

and ye, stand not, pursue after your enemies, and ye have smitten the hindmost of them; suffer them not to go in unto their cities, for Jehovah your God hath given them into your hand.'

And it cometh to pass, when Joshua and the sons of Israel finish to smite them — a very great smiting, till they are consumed, and the remnant who have remained of them go in unto the fenced cities,

that all the people turn back to the camp, unto Joshua, [at] Makkedah, in peace; none moved sharply his tongue against the sons of Israel.

And Joshua saith, 'Open ye the mouth of the cave, and bring out unto me these five kings from the cave;'

and they do so, and bring out unto him these five kings from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, the king of Eglon.

And it cometh to pass, when they bring out these kings unto Joshua, that Joshua calleth unto every man of Israel, and saith unto the captains of the men of war, who have gone with him, 'Draw near, set your feet on the necks of these kings;' and they draw near, and set their feet on their necks.

And Joshua saith unto them, 'Fear not, nor be affrighted; be strong and courageous; for thus doth Jehovah do to all your enemies with whom ye are fighting;'

and Joshua smiteth them afterwards, and putteth them to death, and hangeth them on five trees; and they are hanging on the trees till the evening.

And it cometh to pass, at the time of the going in of the sun, Joshua hath commanded, and they take them down from off the trees, and cast them unto the cave where they had been hid, and put great stones on the mouth of the cave till this very day.

And Makkedah hath Joshua captured on that day, and he smiteth it by the mouth of the sword, and its king he hath devoted, them and every person who [is] in it — he hath not left a remnant; and he doth to the king of Makkedah as he did to the king of Jericho.

And Joshua passeth over, and all Israel with him, from Makkedah [to] Libnah, and fighteth with Libnah;

and Jehovah giveth also it into the hand of Israel, and its king, and it smiteth it by the mouth of the sword, and every person who [is] in it — it left not in it a remnant; and it doth to its king as it did to the king of Jericho.

And Joshua passeth over, and all Israel with him, from Libnah to Lachish, and encampeth against it, and fighteth against it;

And Jehovah giveth Lachish into the hand of Israel, and it captureth it on the second day, and smiteth it by the mouth of the sword, and every person who [is] in it, according to all that it did to Libnah.

Than hath Horam king of Gezer come up to help Lachish, and Joshua smiteth him and his people, till he hath not left to him a remnant.

And Joshua passeth over, and all Israel with him, from Lachish to Eglon, and they encamp against it, and fight against it,

and capture it on that day, and smite it by the mouth of the sword, and every person who [is] in it on that day he hath devoted, according to all that he did to Lachish.