The men said to her, &#8220;If you<n id="1" /> die, may we die too!<n id="2" /> If you do not report what we&#8217;ve been up to,<n id="3" /> then, when the <sc>Lordsc> hands the land over to us, we will show unswerving allegiance<n id="4" /> to you.&#8221;<n id="5" />p>

Instruct them, &#8216;Pick up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from the very place where the priests<n id="1" /> stand firmly, and carry them over with you and put them in the place where you camp tonight.&#8217;&#8221;p>

<p class="bodytext">The Israelites did just as Joshua commanded. They picked up twelve stones, according to the number of the Israelite tribes, from the middle of the Jordan as the <sc>Lordsc> had instructed Joshua. They carried them over with them to the camp and put them there.

<p class="bodytext">Joshua sent men from Jericho<n id="1" /> to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel<n id="2" />) and instructed them, &#8220;Go up and spy on the land.&#8221; So the men went up and spied on Ai.

The Israelites are unable to stand before their enemies; they retreat because they have become subject to annihilation.<n id="1" /> I will no longer be with you,<n id="2" /> unless you destroy what has contaminated you.<n id="3" />

<t /><p class="bodytext">The <sc>Lordsc> told Joshua, &#8220;Don&#8217;t be afraid and don&#8217;t panic!<n id="1" /> Take the whole army with you and march against Ai!<n id="2" /> See, I am handing over to you<n id="3" /> the king of Ai, along with his people, city, and land.

<p class="bodytext">At that time Joshua attacked and eliminated the Anakites from the hill country<n id="1" /> &#8211; from Hebron, Debir, Anab, and all the hill country of Judah and Israel.<n id="2" /> Joshua annihilated them and their cities.

I was forty years old when Moses, the <sc>Lordsc>&#8217;s servant, sent me from Kadesh Barnea to spy on the land and I brought back to him an honest report.<n id="1" />

(The Danites failed to conquer their territory,<n id="1" /> so they went up and fought with Leshem and captured it. They put the sword to it, took possession of it, and lived in it. They renamed it<n id="2" /> Dan after their ancestor.<n id="3" />)

The one who committed manslaughter<n id="1" /> 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.<n id="2" /> They should then bring him into the city, give him a place to stay, and let him live there.<n id="3" />

(Now to one half-tribe of Manasseh, Moses had assigned land in Bashan; and to the other half Joshua had assigned land on the west side of the Jordan with their fellow Israelites.) When Joshua sent them home,<n id="1" /> he rewarded<n id="2" /> them,

saying, &#8220;Take home<n id="1" /> great wealth, a lot of cattle,<n id="2" /> silver, gold, bronze, iron, and a lot of<n id="3" /> clothing. Divide up the goods captured from your enemies with your brothers.&#8221;

He was accompanied by ten leaders, one from each of the Israelite tribes, each one a family leader among the Israelite clans.<n id="1" />

Joshua said to all the people, &#8220;Look, this stone will be a witness against you, for it has heard everything the <sc>Lordsc> said to us.<n id="1" /> It will be a witness against you if<n id="2" /> you deny your God.&#8221;

Then Joshua and all Israel took Achan, son of Zerah, along with the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, daughters, ox, donkey, sheep, tent, and all that belonged to him and brought them up to the Valley of Disaster.<n id="1" />