Joshua 8:3-9

8:3 Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. ¹  Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night. 8:4 He told ²  them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready! 8:5 I and all the troops ³  who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them. 8:6 They will attack ⁴  us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say, ‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them. 8:7 Then you rise up from your hiding place ⁵  and seize ⁶  the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you. 8:8 When you capture the city, set it ⁷  on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.” ⁸  8:9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place ⁹  west of Ai, between Bethel ¹⁰  and Ai. ¹¹  Joshua spent that night with the army. ¹² 

[8:3]  ¹ tn “And Joshua and all the people of war arose to go up [against] Ai.”

[8:4]  ² tn Or “commanded, ordered.”

[8:5]  ³ tn Heb “the people.”

[8:6]  ⁴ tn Heb “come out after.”

[8:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “from the ambush.”

[8:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “take possession of.”

[8:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “the city.”

[8:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “I have commanded you.”

[8:9]  ⁷ tn Or “the place of ambush.”

[8:9]  ⁸ map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.

[8:9]  ⁹ tn Heb “and they stayed between Bethel and Ai, west of Ai.”

[8:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the midst of the people.”