The stones will be a reminder to you. When your children ask someday, ‘Why are these stones important to you?’

Now all the men who left were circumcised, but all the sons born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised.

He replaced them with their sons, whom Joshua circumcised. They were uncircumcised; their fathers had not circumcised them along the way.

The manna stopped appearing the day they ate some of the produce of the land; the Israelites never ate manna again.

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!

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

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.

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

Twelve thousand men and women died that day, including all the men of Ai.

They had worn-out, patched sandals on their feet and dressed in worn-out clothes. All their bread was dry and hard.

This bread of ours was warm when we packed it in our homes the day we started out to meet you, but now it is dry and hard.

Three days after they made the treaty with them, the Israelites found out they were from the local area and lived nearby.

We must let them live so we can escape the curse attached to the oath we swore to them.”

The leaders then added, “Let them live.” So they became woodcutters and water carriers for the whole community, as the leaders had decided.

There has not been a day like it before or since. The Lord obeyed a man, for the Lord fought for Israel!

Joshua and the Israelites almost totally wiped them out, but some survivors did escape to the fortified cities.

Then Joshua executed them and hung them on five trees. They were left hanging on the trees until evening.

When King Jabin of Hazor heard the news, he organized a coalition, including King Jobab of Madon, the king of Shimron, the king of Acshaph,

No city made peace with the Israelites (except the Hivites living in Gibeon); they had to conquer all of them,

Their territory started at Aroer (on the edge of the Arnon Valley) and included the city in the middle of the valley, the whole plain of Medeba,