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Wednesday, August 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 15 / Ordinary 20
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Contemporary English Version

Joshua 8:16

So he called out every man in Ai to go after Joshua's troops. They all rushed out to chase the Israelite army, and they left the town gates wide open. Not one man was left in Ai or in Bethel. Joshua let the men of Ai chase him and his army farther and farther away from Ai.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ambush;   Armies;   Strategy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sieges;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Arms;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Bethel;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Israel;   Joshua;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ai, Hai ;   Ambush, Ambushment;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Journeyings of israel from egypt to canaan;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Conquest of Canaan;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Targum;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ai;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then all the troops of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
Hebrew Names Version
All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Yehoshua, and were drawn away from the city.
King James Version
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Lexham English Bible
All of the people who were in the city were called to pursue after them. As they pursued after Joshua, they were drawn away from the city.
English Standard Version
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
New Century Version
The men in Ai were called to chase Joshua and his men, so they left the city and went after them.
New English Translation
All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city.
Amplified Bible
Then all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.
New American Standard Bible
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away from the city.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And all the people of the citie were called together, to pursue after them: and they pursued after Ioshua, & were drawen away out of the city,
Legacy Standard Bible
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
Complete Jewish Bible
All the people in ‘Ai were summoned together to pursue them, so they chased Y'hoshua and were drawn away from the city.
Darby Translation
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Easy-to-Read Version
The people in the city began to shout and started to chase them. All the people left the city.
George Lamsa Translation
And all the people of Ai shouted as they pursued them; and they followed Joshua, and were drawn out of the city.
Good News Translation
All the men in the city had been called together to go after them, and as they pursued Joshua, they kept getting farther away from the city.
Literal Translation
And all the people in the city were called to chase them. And they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away out of the city.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then cried all the people in the cite, that they shulde folowe vpon them, and they folowed after Iosua and rußshed out of the cite,
American Standard Version
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Bible in Basic English
And all the people in Ai came together to go after them; and they went after Joshua, moving away from the town.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And all the people of the towne were called together, to folowe after them: And they folowed after Iosuah, and were drawen away from the citie.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them; and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
King James Version (1611)
And all the people that were in Ai, were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Ioshua, and were drawen away from the city.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they pursued after the children of Israel, and they themselves went to a distance from the city.
English Revised Version
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Berean Standard Bible
Then all the men of Ai were summoned to pursue them, and they followed Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and excitiden hem silf togidere, and pursueden hem. And whanne thei hadden go awey fro the citee,
Young's Literal Translation
and all the people who [are] in the city are called to pursue after them, and they pursue after Joshua, and are drawn away out of the city,
Update Bible Version
And all the people that were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
Webster's Bible Translation
And all the people that [were] in Ai were called together to pursue them: and they pursued Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
World English Bible
All the people who were in the city were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city.
New King James Version
So all the people who were in Ai were called together to pursue them. And they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.
New Living Translation
Then all the men in the town were called out to chase after them. In this way, they were lured away from the town.
New Life Bible
All the people in the city were called together to go after them. They went after Joshua, and were taken away from the city.
New Revised Standard
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and all the people who were in the city were called out to pursue them, - and they pursued Joshua, and so were drawn out away from the city.
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they shouting together, and encouraging one another, pursued them. And when they were come from the city,
Revised Standard Version
So all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and as they pursued Joshua they were drawn away from the city.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And all the people who were in the city were called together to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were drawn away from the city.

Contextual Overview

9 now go! The thirty thousand soldiers went to a place on the west side of Ai, between Ai and Bethel, where they could hide and wait to attack. That night, Joshua stayed in camp with the rest of the army. 10 Early the next morning he got his troops ready to move out, and he and the other leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11 They set up camp in full view of the town, across the valley to the north. 12 Joshua had already sent five thousand soldiers to the west side of the town to hide and wait to attack. 13 Now all his troops were in place. Part of the army was in the camp to the north of Ai, and the others were hiding to the west, ready to make a surprise attack. That night, Joshua went into the valley. 14The king of Ai saw Joshua's army, so the king and his troops hurried out early the next morning to fight them. Joshua and his army pretended to be beaten, and they let the men of Ai chase them toward the desert. The king and his army were facing the Jordan valley as Joshua had planned. The king did not realize that some Israelite soldiers were hiding behind the town. 16So he called out every man in Ai to go after Joshua's troops. They all rushed out to chase the Israelite army, and they left the town gates wide open. Not one man was left in Ai or in Bethel. Joshua let the men of Ai chase him and his army farther and farther away from Ai.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

called together: Judges 20:36-39

drawn away: Joshua 8:5, Joshua 8:6, Judges 20:31, Psalms 9:16, Ezekiel 38:11-22, Revelation 16:14, Revelation 19:19-21

Reciprocal: Joshua 8:4 - lie in wait Joshua 8:14 - Ai saw it Joshua 8:24 - returned unto Ai Judges 20:32 - Let us flee

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
The Lord told Noah: Take your whole family with you into the boat, because you are the only one on this earth who pleases me.
Genesis 7:13
On that day Noah and his wife went into the boat with their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives.
Genesis 8:16
"You, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law may now leave the boat.
Genesis 8:18
After Noah and his family had gone out of the boat,
Joshua 4:10
The army got ready for battle and crossed the Jordan. They marched quickly past the sacred chest and into the desert near Jericho. Forty thousand soldiers from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh led the way, as Moses had ordered. The priests stayed right where they were until the army had followed the orders that the Lord had given Moses and Joshua. Then the army watched as the priests carried the chest the rest of the way across.
Psalms 91:11
God will command his angels to protect you wherever you go.
Psalms 121:8
The Lord will protect you now and always wherever you go.
Zechariah 9:11
When I made a sacred agreement with you, my people, we sealed it with blood. Now some of you are captives in waterless pits, but I will come to your rescue

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And all the people that were in Ai [were] called together to pursue after them,.... Because the host of Israel was very numerous, it was judged proper that all the people in Ai should assist in pursuing them, not only to kill the more in the pursuit, but to carry off the spoil and prisoners they should take; or rather the sense is, that all the people in Ai, which were come out with the king to battle, when they saw Israel flee, "cried" x, or shouted, as soldiers do when victorious, "in" or "while pursuing" y after them;

and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city; at some considerable distance from it; which was the design to be answered by feigning a flight.

x וזעקו "vociferantes", V. L. "vociferati sunt", Pagninus, Montanus. y לרדף "persequendo", Pagninus, Montanus.


 
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