Jo’s Place

​ The Israelites Defeat Ai There was not a man left in Ai …or in Bethel, who did not chase after the Israelites, and the town was left wide open.  Then, the Lord said to Joshua,  “Point the spear, in your hand, toward Ai, for I will hand the town over to you.”  Joshua did as he was commanded.  As soon as Joshua gave this signal, all the men in ambush jumped up from their position …and poured into the town.  They quickly captured it …and set it on fire.  When the men of Ai, looked behind them, smoke from the town was filling the sky, and they had nowhere to go.  For the Israelites, who had fled, in the direction of the wilderness, now turned on their pursuers.  When Joshua …and all the other Israelites, saw that the ambush had succeeded …and that smoke was rising from the town, they turned and attacked the men of Ai.  Meanwhile, the Israelites, who were inside the town, came out and attacked the enemy, from the rear.  So, the men of Ai we...

The Israelites Deceive Ai Then, the Lord said to Joshua,  “Do not be afraid or discouraged.  Take all your fighting men …and attack Ai, for I have given you the king of Ai, his people, his town, and his land.  You will destroy them, as you destroyed Jericho and its king.  But this time you may keep the plunder… and the livestock, for yourselves.  Set an ambush behind the town.”  So, Joshua and all the fighting men set out to attack Ai.  Joshua chose 30,000 of his best warriors …and sent them out, at night …with these orders:  “Hide in ambush, close behind the town …and be ready for action.  When our main army attacks, the men of Ai will come out, to fight as they did before, and we will run away from them.  We will let them chase us, until we have drawn them away from the town.  For they will say,  ‘The Israelites are running away from us as they did before.’  Then, while we are running from them, …you will jump up from yo...

Israel is Purified after Ai Joshua cried out to the Lord,  “Oh, Sovereign Lord, why did you bring us across the Jordan River, if you are going to let the Amorites kill us?  If only we had been content, to stay on the other side!  Lord, what can I say, now, that Israel has fled from its enemies?  For when the Canaanites and all the other people, who are living in the land, hear about it, they will surround us...and wipe our name off the face of the earth.  And then, what will happen to the honor of Your great Name?”  But the Lord said to Joshua,  “Get up!  Why are you lying on your face like this?  Israel has sinned and broken My covenant!  They have stolen some of the things, that I commanded must be set apart, for Me.  And they have not only stolen them, but they have lied about it ...and hidden the things among their own belongings.  That is why the Israelites are running from their enemies, in defeat.  For now, Israel i...

Ai Defeats the Israelites Israel violated the instructions, about the things set apart, for the Lord.  A man, named Achan, had stolen some of these dedicated things, so the Lord was very angry with the Israelites.  Achan was the son of Carmi, a descendant of Zimri, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah.  Joshua didn’t know this, so he sent some of his men from Jericho to spy out the town of Ai, east of Bethel, near Beth-aven.  When they returned, they told Joshua,  “There’s no need for all of us to go up there; it won’t take more than two or three thousand men to attack Ai.  Since there are so few of them, don’t make all our people struggle to go up there.”  So, approximately 3,000 warriors were sent, but they were soundly defeated.  The men, of Ai, chased the Israelites, from the town gate, as far as the quarries, and they killed thirty-six, who were retreating down the slope.  The Israelites were paralyzed with fear, at this turn of events, a...