1. And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed; take all the people of war with thee and arise; go up to Ai. See, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai and his people and his city and his land.
2. And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king; only the spoil thereof and the cattle thereof, ye shall take for yourselves. Lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3. So Joshua arose and all the people of war, to go up against Ai; and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour and sent them away by night.
4. And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city; do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready.
5. And I and all the people that are with me, will approach the city; and when they come out against us, as at the first, we will flee before them
6. (for they will come out after us) until we have raptured them out of the city; for they will say, They flee before us as at the first. Therefore, we will flee before them.
7. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush and take possession of the city; for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand.
8. And when ye have taken the city, ye shall set the city on fire. Ye shall do according to the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.
9. Then Joshua sent them forth, and they went to lie in ambush and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; and Joshua lodged that night in the midst of the people.
10. And Joshua rose up early in the morning and numbered the people and went up he and the elders of Israel, before the people against Ai.
11. And all the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew near and came before the city and pitched camp on the north side of Ai; now there was a valley between them and Ai.
12. And he took about five thousand men and set them to lie in ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
13. And the people, all the camp that was on the side of the north came near to the city, and their ambush on the west of the city. And Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
14. When the king of Ai saw it, he rose up early in the morning and made haste with the men of the city to go out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he did not know that there was an ambush against him behind the city.
15. Then Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness.