The men journeyed ¹  through the land and mapped it and its cities out into seven regions on a scroll. Then they came to Joshua at the camp in Shiloh.

Now today you dare to turn back ¹  from following the Lord! You are rebelling today against the Lord; tomorrow he may break out in anger against ²  the entire community of Israel.

When they brought the kings out to Joshua, he ¹  summoned all the men of Israel and said to the commanders of the troops who accompanied him, “Come here ²  and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So they came up ³  and put their feet on their necks.

They returned and reported to Joshua, ¹  “Don’t send the whole army. ²  About two or three thousand men are adequate to defeat Ai. ³  Don’t tire out the whole army, for Ai is small.” ⁴ 

Your fathers ¹  cried out for help to the Lord; he made the area between you and the Egyptians dark, ²  and then drowned them in the sea. ³  You witnessed with your very own eyes ⁴  what I did in Egypt. You lived in the wilderness for a long time. ⁵ 

Joshua replied to them, “Since you have so many people, ¹  go up into the forest and clear out a place to live in the land of the Perizzites and Rephaites, for the hill country of Ephraim is too small for you.”

Now ¹  all the men ²  who left were circumcised, but all the sons ³  born on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt were uncircumcised.

Now Jericho ¹  was shut tightly ²  because of the Israelites. No one was allowed to leave or enter. ³ 

So Joshua instructed the priests, “Come up from the Jordan!”

The fourth lot belonged to the tribe of Issachar ¹  by its clans.

The fifth lot belonged to the tribe of Asher ¹  by its clans.

The seventh lot belonged to the tribe of Dan ¹  by its clans.

The king of Jericho received this report: “Note well! ¹  Israelite men have come here tonight ²  to spy on the land.”

Whenever the Israelites were strong militarily, they forced the Canaanites to do hard labor, but they never totally conquered them. ¹ 

So the king of Jericho sent this order to Rahab: ¹  “Turn over ²  the men who came to you ³  – the ones who came to your house ⁴  – for they have come to spy on the whole land!”

This is why Joshua had to circumcise them: All the men old enough to fight when they left Egypt died on the journey through the desert after they left Egypt. ¹ 

Joshua sent men from Jericho ¹  to Ai (which is located near Beth Aven, east of Bethel ² ) and instructed them, “Go up and spy on the land.” So the men went up and spied on Ai.

“Instruct the priests carrying the ark of the covenantal laws ¹  to come up from the Jordan.”

Now Joshua set up in Gilgal the ¹  twelve stones they had taken from the Jordan.

But the Israelites did not conquer ¹  the Geshurites and Maacathites; Geshur and Maacah live among Israel to this very day.