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,

The border of the tribe of Reuben was the Jordan. The land allotted to the tribe of Reuben by its clans included these cities and their towns.

Their territory included Jazer, all the cities of Gilead, and half of Ammonite territory as far as Aroer near Rabbah.

Their territory started at Mahanaim and encompassed all Bashan, the whole realm of King Og of Bashan, including all sixty cities in Havvoth Jair in Bashan.

The land allotted to the tribe of Judah by its clans reached to the border of Edom, to the Wilderness of Zin in the Negev far to the south.

It then extended to the slope of Ekron to the north, went toward Shikkeron, crossed to Mount Baalah, extended to Jabneel, and ended at the sea.