Joshua 9:3

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Joshua 9:1–5 · Berean Standard Bible

1 Now when news of this reached all the kings west of the Jordan—those in the hill country, the foothills, and all along the coast of the Great Sea toward Lebanon (the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites)—

2 they came together to wage war against Joshua and Israel.

3 But the people of Gibeon, having heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai,

4 acted deceptively and set out as envoys, carrying on their donkeys worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended.

5 They put worn, patched sandals on their feet and threadbare clothing on their bodies, and their whole supply of bread was dry and moldy.

Hebrew words

Data created by STEPBible.org based on work at Tyndale House Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

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Cross-references

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge lists these related verses. Scripture text comes from the Berean Standard Bible.

Joshua 9:17

So the Israelites set out and on the third day arrived at their cities—Gibeon, Chephirah, Beeroth, and Kiriath-jearim.

Joshua 10:2

So Adoni-zedek and his people were greatly alarmed, because Gibeon was a great city, like one of the royal cities; it was larger than Ai, and all its men were mighty.

2 Samuel 21:1

During the reign of David there was a famine for three successive years, and David sought the face of the LORD. And the LORD said, “It is because of the blood shed by Saul and his family, because he killed the Gibeonites.”

2 Samuel 21:2

At this, David summoned the Gibeonites and spoke to them. (Now the Gibeonites were not Israelites, but a remnant of the Amorites. The Israelites had taken an oath concerning them, but in his zeal for Israel and Judah, Saul had sought to kill them.)

Joshua 6:1

Now Jericho was tightly shut up because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

Joshua 6:2

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.

Joshua 6:3

March around the city with all the men of war, circling the city one time. Do this for six days.

Joshua 6:4

Have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark. Then on the seventh day, march around the city seven times, while the priests blow the horns.

Joshua 6:5

And when there is a long blast of the ram’s horn and you hear its sound, have all the people give a mighty shout. Then the wall of the city will collapse and all your people will charge straight into the city.”

Joshua 6:6

So Joshua son of Nun summoned the priests and said, “Take up the ark of the covenant and have seven priests carry seven rams’ horns in front of the ark of the LORD.”

Joshua 6:7

And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

Joshua 6:8

After Joshua had spoken to the people, seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns before the LORD advanced and blew the horns, and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Joshua 6:9

While the horns continued to sound, the armed troops marched ahead of the priests who blew the horns, and the rear guard followed the ark.

Joshua 6:10

But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”

Joshua 6:11

So he had the ark of the LORD carried around the city, circling it once. And the people returned to the camp and spent the night there.

Joshua 6:12

Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.

Joshua 6:13

And the seven priests carrying seven rams’ horns kept marching ahead of the ark of the LORD and blowing the horns. The armed troops went in front of them and the rear guard followed the ark of the LORD, while the horns kept sounding.

Joshua 6:14

So on the second day they marched around the city once and returned to the camp. They did this for six days.

Joshua 6:15

Then on the seventh day, they got up at dawn and marched around the city seven times in the same manner. That was the only day they circled the city seven times.

Joshua 6:16

After the seventh time around, the priests blew the horns, and Joshua commanded the people, “Shout! For the LORD has given you the city!

Joshua 6:17

Now the city and everything in it must be devoted to the LORD for destruction. Only Rahab the prostitute and all those with her in her house will live, because she hid the spies we sent.

Joshua 6:18

But keep away from the things devoted to destruction, lest you yourself be set apart for destruction. If you take any of these, you will set apart the camp of Israel for destruction and bring disaster upon it.

Joshua 6:19

For all the silver and gold and all the articles of bronze and iron are holy to the LORD; they must go into His treasury.”

Joshua 6:20

So when the rams’ horns sounded, the people shouted. When they heard the blast of the horn, the people gave a great shout, and the wall collapsed. Then all the people charged straight into the city and captured it.

Joshua 6:21

At the edge of the sword they devoted to destruction everything in the city—man and woman, young and old, oxen, sheep, and donkeys.

Joshua 6:22

Meanwhile, Joshua told the two men who had spied out the land, “Go into the house of the prostitute and bring out the woman and all who are with her, just as you promised her.”

Joshua 6:23

So the young spies went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers, and all who belonged to her. They brought out her whole family and settled them outside the camp of Israel.

Joshua 6:24

Then the Israelites burned up the city and everything in it. However, they put the silver and gold and articles of bronze and iron into the treasury of the LORD’s house.

Joshua 6:25

And Joshua spared Rahab the prostitute, with her father’s household and all who belonged to her, because she hid the men Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. So she has lived among the Israelites to this day.

Joshua 6:26

At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

Joshua 6:27

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

Joshua 8:1

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

Joshua 8:2

And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”

Joshua 8:3

So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night

Joshua 8:4

with these orders: “Pay attention. You are to lie in ambush behind the city, not too far from it. All of you must be ready.

Joshua 8:5

Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.

Joshua 8:6

They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’ So as we flee from them,

Joshua 8:7

you are to rise from the ambush and seize the city, for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.

Joshua 8:8

And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders.”

Joshua 8:9

So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.

Joshua 8:10

Joshua got up early the next morning and mobilized his men, and he and the elders of Israel marched before them up to Ai.

Joshua 8:11

Then all the troops who were with him marched up and approached the city. They arrived in front of Ai and camped to the north of it, with the valley between them and the city.

Joshua 8:12

Now Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set up an ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city.

Joshua 8:13

So the forces were stationed with the main camp to the north of the city and the rear guard to the west of the city. And that night Joshua went into the valley.

Joshua 8:14

When the king of Ai saw the Israelites, he hurried out early in the morning with the men of the city to engage them in battle at an appointed place overlooking the Arabah. But he did not know that an ambush had been set up against him behind the city.

Joshua 8:15

Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.

Joshua 8:16

Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

Joshua 8:17

Not a man was left in Ai or Bethel who did not go out after Israel, leaving the city wide open while they pursued Israel.

Joshua 8:18

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Hold out your battle lance toward Ai, for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out his battle lance toward Ai,

Joshua 8:19

and as soon as he did so, the men in ambush rose quickly from their position. They rushed forward, entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.

Joshua 8:20

When the men of Ai turned and looked back, the smoke of the city was rising into the sky. They could not escape in any direction, and the troops who had fled to the wilderness now became the pursuers.

Joshua 8:21

When Joshua and all Israel saw that the men in ambush had captured the city and that smoke was rising from it, they turned around and struck down the men of Ai.

Joshua 8:22

Meanwhile, those in the ambush came out of the city against them, and the men of Ai were trapped between the Israelite forces on both sides. So Israel struck them down until no survivor or fugitive remained.

Joshua 8:23

But they took the king of Ai alive and brought him to Joshua.

Joshua 8:24

When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai who had pursued them into the field and wilderness, and when every last one of them had fallen by the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and put it to the sword as well.

Joshua 8:25

A total of twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.

Joshua 8:26

Joshua did not draw back the hand that held his battle lance until he had devoted to destruction all who lived in Ai.

Joshua 8:27

Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.

Joshua 8:28

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.

Joshua 8:29

He hung the king of Ai on a tree until evening, and at sunset Joshua commanded that they take down the body from the tree and throw it down at the entrance of the city gate. And over it they raised a large pile of rocks, which remains to this day.

Joshua 8:30

At that time Joshua built an altar on Mount Ebal to the LORD, the God of Israel,

Joshua 8:31

just as Moses the servant of the LORD 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.” And on it they offered burnt offerings to the LORD, and they sacrificed peace offerings.

Joshua 8:32

And there in the presence of the Israelites, Joshua inscribed on the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he had written.

Joshua 8:33

All Israel, foreigners and citizens alike, with their elders, officers, and judges, stood on both sides of the ark of the covenant of the LORD facing the Levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded earlier, to bless the people of Israel.

Joshua 8:34

Afterward, Joshua read aloud all the words of the law—the blessings and the curses—according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.

Joshua 8:35

There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded that Joshua failed to read before the whole assembly of Israel, including the women, the little ones, and the foreigners who lived among them.