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.”

When the men of Ai turned around, they saw ¹  the smoke from the city ascending into the sky and were so shocked they were unable to flee in any direction. ²  In the meantime the men who were retreating to the desert turned against their pursuers.

Now the Lord your God has made your fellow Israelites secure, ¹  just as he promised them. So now you may turn around and go to your homes ²  in your own land ³  which Moses the Lord’s servant assigned to you east of the Jordan.

I saw among the goods we seized a nice robe from Babylon, ¹  two hundred silver pieces, ²  and a bar of gold weighing fifty shekels. I wanted them, so I took them. They are hidden in the ground right in the middle of my tent with the silver underneath.”

So now, look, the Lord has preserved my life, just as he promised, these past forty-five years since the Lord spoke these words to Moses, during which Israel traveled through the wilderness. Now look, I am today eighty-five years old.

The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the part of the field that Jacob bought from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for one hundred pieces of money. ¹  So it became the inheritance of the tribe of Joseph. ² 

The Lord was with Joshua and he became famous throughout the land. ¹ 

Moses the Lord’s servant passed on the Lord’s commands to Joshua, and Joshua did as he was told. He did not ignore any of the commands the Lord had given Moses. ¹ 

Joshua rewarded ¹  them and sent them on their way; they returned to their homes. ² 

Joshua sent messengers who ran to the tent. The things were hidden right in his tent, with the silver underneath. ¹ 

Joshua and his whole army caught them by surprise at the Waters of Merom and attacked them. ¹ 

I refused to respond to Balaam; he kept ¹  prophesying good things about ²  you, and I rescued you from his power. ³ 

Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). ¹ 

Joshua did as they said; he kept the Israelites from killing them ¹ 

That day Joshua drew up an agreement ¹  for the people, and he established rules and regulations ²  for them in Shechem.

Joshua attacked them by surprise after marching all night from Gilgal. ¹ 

When Joshua dismissed the people, they went to their allotted portions of land. ¹ 

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

Bright and early the next morning Joshua made Israel approach in tribal order ¹  and the tribe of Judah was selected.

Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. ¹  Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night.