Have all the warriors march around the city one time; do this for six days.

He told them, “Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready!

When you capture the city, set it on fire. Do as the Lord says! See, I have given you orders.”

When he held out his hand, the men waiting in ambush rose up quickly from their place and attacked. They entered the city, captured it, and immediately set it on fire.

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

And he told the army, “Move ahead and march around the city, with armed troops going ahead of the ark of the Lord.”

So Joshua made sure they marched the ark of the Lord around the city one time. Then they went back to the camp and spent the night there.

Then you rise up from your hiding place and seize the city. The Lord your God will hand it over to you.

(Now the city’s fields and surrounding towns they had assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh as his property.)

On the seventh day they were up at the crack of dawn and marched around the city as before – only this time they marched around it seven times.

When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. But he did not realize men were hiding behind the city.

As the Lord had instructed, they gave him the city he requested – Timnath Serah in the Ephraimite hill country. He built up the city and lived in it.

The one who committed manslaughter should escape to one of these cities, stand at the entrance of the city gate, and present his case to the leaders of that city. They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there.

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

They marched around the city one time on the second day, then returned to the camp. They did this six days in all.

The seventh time around, the priests blew the rams’ horns and Joshua told the army, “Give the battle cry, for the Lord is handing the city over to you!

I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.

They will attack 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.

All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley.

All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city.