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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>Joshua 8 Christian Standard Bible</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/joshua/8.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/joshua/8-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">CSB</a> > Joshua 8</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="../menu.htm" width="100%" height="48" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../joshua/7.htm" title="Joshua 7">◄</a> Joshua 8 <a href="../joshua/9.htm" title="Joshua 9">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">Christian Standard Bible</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/csb/esv/joshua/8.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Verses"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div><section epub:type="chapter" id="csb-Joshua.8" /><h3 class="head1">Conquest of Ai</h3><p class="noind"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.1" /><A name="2"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>The L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span> said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.1.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> Take all the troops with you and go attack Ai. Look, I have handed over to you the king of Ai, his people, city, and land.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.1.2"><span class="xrfAlphabet">b</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.2" /> <A name="3"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king,<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.2.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.2.2"><span class="xrfAlphabet">b</span></a> Set an ambush behind the city.”<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.2.3"><span class="xrfAlphabet">c</span></a></p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.3" /> <A name="4"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>So Joshua and all the troops set out to attack Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand of his best soldiers and sent them out at night. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.4" /> <A name="5"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>He commanded them, “Pay attention. Lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it, and all of you be ready.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.4.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.5" /> <A name="6"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.6" /> <A name="7"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>They will come after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing from us as before.’ While we are fleeing from them, <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.7" /> <A name="8"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>you are to come out of your ambush and seize the city. The L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span> your God will hand it over to you. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.8" /> <A name="9"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>After taking the city, set it on fire. Follow the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>’s command — see that you do as I have ordered you.” <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.9" /> <A name="10"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.10" /> <A name="11"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>Joshua started early the next morning and mobilized them. Then he and the elders of Israel led the people up to Ai. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.11" /> <A name="12"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>All the troops who were with him went up and approached the city, arriving opposite Ai, and camped to the north of it, with a valley between them and the city. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.12" /> <A name="13"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.13" /> <A name="14"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>The troops were stationed in this way: the main<a epub:type="noteref" href="#fn.Joshua.8.13.1"><span class="fnAlphabet">A</span></a> camp to the north of the city and its rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.14" /> <A name="15"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, the men of the city hurried and went out early in the morning so that he and all his people could engage Israel in battle at a suitable place facing the Arabah. But he did not know there was an ambush waiting for him behind the city. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.15" /> <A name="16"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.15.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.16" /> <A name="17"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.17" /> <A name="18"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.18" /> <A name="19"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>Then the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span> said to Joshua, “Hold out the javelin in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his javelin toward it. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.19" /> <A name="20"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-19.htm"><b>19</b></a></span>When he held out his hand, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They ran, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.20" /> <A name="21"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-20.htm"><b>20</b></a></span>The men of Ai turned and looked back, and smoke from the city was rising to the sky! They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.21" /> <A name="22"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-21.htm"><b>21</b></a></span>When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned back and struck down the men of Ai. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.22" /> <A name="23"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-22.htm"><b>22</b></a></span>Then men in ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces, some on one side and some on the other. They struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained,<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.22.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.23" /> <A name="24"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-23.htm"><b>23</b></a></span>but they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.24" /> <A name="25"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-24.htm"><b>24</b></a></span>When Israel had finished killing everyone living in Ai who had pursued them into the open country, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all Israel returned to Ai and struck it down with the sword. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.25" /> <A name="26"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-25.htm"><b>25</b></a></span>The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was twelve thousand — all the people of Ai. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.26" /> <A name="27"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-26.htm"><b>26</b></a></span>Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the javelin until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.26.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.27" /> <A name="28"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-27.htm"><b>27</b></a></span>Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>’s command that he had given Joshua.</p><p class="scripture"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.28" /> <A name="29"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-28.htm"><b>28</b></a></span>Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, still desolate today.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.28.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.29" /> <A name="30"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-29.htm"><b>29</b></a></span>He hung<a epub:type="noteref" href="#fn.Joshua.8.29.1"><span class="fnAlphabet">A</span></a> the body of the king of Ai on a tree<a epub:type="noteref" href="#fn.Joshua.8.29.2"><span class="fnAlphabet">B</span></a> until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take his body down from the tree.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.29.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and put a large pile of rocks over it, which still remains today.</p><h3 class="head1">Renewed Commitment to the Law</h3><p class="noind"><span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.30" /> <A name="31"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-30.htm"><b>30</b></a></span>At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.30.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> to the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>, the God of Israel, <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.31" /> <A name="32"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-31.htm"><b>31</b></a></span>just as Moses the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>’s servant had commanded the Israelites. He built it according to what is written in the book of the law of Moses: an altar of uncut stones on which no iron tool has been used.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.31.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> Then they offered burnt offerings to the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span> and sacrificed fellowship offerings on it. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.32" /> <A name="33"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-32.htm"><b>32</b></a></span>There on the stones, Joshua copied the law of Moses, which he had written in the presence of the Israelites.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.32.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.33" /> <A name="34"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-33.htm"><b>33</b></a></span>All Israel — resident alien and citizen alike — with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on either side of the ark of the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>’s covenant facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of them were in front of Mount Gerizim and half in front of Mount Ebal,<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.33.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a> as Moses the L<span class="smallcaps">ord</span>’s servant had commanded earlier concerning blessing the people of Israel.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.33.2"><span class="xrfAlphabet">b</span></a> <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.34" /> <A name="35"></a><span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-34.htm"><b>34</b></a></span>Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law — the blessings as well as the curses — according to all that is written in the book of the law. <span epub:type="z3998:verse" id="start-Joshua.8.35" /> <span class="reftext"><a href="/joshua/8-35.htm"><b>35</b></a></span>There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua did not read before the entire assembly of Israel, including the women, the dependents, and the resident aliens who lived among them.<a epub:type="noteref" href="#xrf.Joshua.8.35.1"><span class="xrfAlphabet">a</span></a></p><br /><section id="footnotes-Joshua.8" class="fnSection"><aside id="fn.Joshua.8.13.1"><span class="footnote-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.13">8:13</a></span> Lit <span class="italic">way: all the</span></aside><aside id="fn.Joshua.8.29.1"><span class="footnote-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.29">8:29</a></span> Or <span class="italic">impaled</span></aside><aside id="fn.Joshua.8.29.2"><span class="footnote-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.29">8:29</a></span> Or <span class="italic">wooden stake</span></aside><br /><section id="cross-references-Joshua.8" class="xrfSection"><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.1.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.1">8:1</a></span> Dt 1:21; 7:18; 31:8; Jos 1:9; 10:25</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.1.2"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.1">8:1</a></span> Jos 6:2</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.2.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.2">8:2</a></span> Jos 6:17</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.2.2"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.2">8:2</a></span> Dt 20:14; Jos 8:27</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.2.3"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.2">8:2</a></span> Jdg 9:32–35,43; 20:29; 1Sm 15:5</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.4.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.4">8:4</a></span> Jdg 20:29</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.15.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.15">8:15</a></span> Jdg 20:36</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.22.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.22">8:22</a></span> Dt 7:2</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.26.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.26">8:26</a></span> Nm 21:2–3; Dt 2:34; Jos 2:10; 6:21; 10:1,28,35–40; 11:11–12,20–21; 24:20</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.28.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.28">8:28</a></span> Dt 13:16; Jos 6:25</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.29.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.29">8:29</a></span> Dt 21:21–23</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.30.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.30">8:30</a></span> Dt 27:4–6</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.31.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.31">8:31</a></span> Ex 20:24–25; Dt 27:5–7</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.32.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.32">8:32</a></span> Dt 27:2–3</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.33.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.33">8:33</a></span> Dt 11:29</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.33.2"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.33">8:33</a></span> Dt 27:12–13</aside><aside id="xrf.Joshua.8.35.1"><span class="cross-reference"><a href="#start-Joshua.8.35">8:35</a></span> Dt 31:12; Neh 8:2–3; 13:1</aside><br /><section id="study-notes-Joshua.8" class="snSection"><br /></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Christian Standard Bible. 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