12. Now Joshua had taken about 5,000 men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.
13. The military force was stationed in this way: the main 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.
14. 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.
15. Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness.
16. Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
17. Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city exposed while they pursued Israel.
18. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out the sword in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand the city over to you.” So Joshua held out his sword toward it.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. 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.
22. 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,
23. but they captured the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.
24. 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.
25. The total of those who fell that day, both men and women, was 12,000 — all the people of Ai.
26. Joshua did not draw back his hand that was holding the sword until all the inhabitants of Ai were completely destroyed.
27. Israel plundered only the cattle and spoil of that city for themselves, according to the Lord’s command that He had given Joshua.
28. Joshua burned Ai and left it a permanent ruin, desolate to this day.