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Saturday, July 19th, 2025
the Week of Proper 10 / Ordinary 15
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Joshua 8:15

Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert.

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;   Lot (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ai;   Bethel;   Joshua, the Book of;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ai;   Israel;   Joshua;   Make;   War;   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 - Make;   Natural Features;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Ai;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Wilderness;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten back by them and fled toward the wilderness.
Hebrew Names Version
Yehoshua and all Yisra'el made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
King James Version
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Lexham English Bible
Then Joshua and all Israel acted like they were beaten before them, and they fled in the direction of the wilderness.
English Standard Version
And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled in the direction of the wilderness.
New Century Version
Joshua and all the men of Israel let the army of Ai push them back. Then they ran toward the desert.
Amplified Bible
So Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them, and ran toward the wilderness.
New American Standard Bible
Then Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Ioshua and all Israel as beaten before them, fled by the way of the wildernes.
Legacy Standard Bible
And Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Complete Jewish Bible
Y'hoshua and all Isra'el made as if they had been defeated before them and ran off on the road to the desert.
Darby Translation
And Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten before them; and they fled by the way of the wilderness.
Easy-to-Read Version
Joshua and all the men of Israel let the army of Ai push them back. Joshua and his men began running east toward the desert.
George Lamsa Translation
And Joshua and all Israel scattered before them to flee by way of the wilderness.
Good News Translation
Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country.
Literal Translation
And Joshua and all Israel were stricken before them, and they fled the way of the wilderness.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Iosua and all Israel were feble before them, and fled by the waye to ye wyldernesse.
American Standard Version
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Bible in Basic English
Then Joshua and all Israel, acting as if they were overcome before them, went in flight by way of the waste land.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Iosuah & all Israel as beaten before them, fledde by the way of the wildernesse.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
King James Version (1611)
And Ioshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wildernesse.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Joshua and Israel saw, and retreated from before them.
English Revised Version
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Berean Standard Bible
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be beaten back before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Josue and al the multitude `of Israel yauen place, feynynge drede, and fleynge bi the weie of wildirnesse; and thei crieden togidere,
Young's Literal Translation
And Joshua and all Israel [seem] stricken before them, and flee the way of the wilderness,
Update Bible Version
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
World English Bible
Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
New King James Version
And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
New Living Translation
Joshua and the Israelite army fled toward the wilderness as though they were badly beaten.
New Life Bible
Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten in front of them. And they ran away into the desert.
New Revised Standard
And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being beaten before them, and fled in the direction of the wilderness.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then Joshua and all Israel suffered themselves to be smitten before them, - and fled, by the way of the wilderness;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But Josue, and all Israel gave back, making as if they were afraid, and fleeing by the way of the wilderness.
Revised Standard Version
And Joshua and all Israel made a pretense of being beaten before them, and fled in the direction of the wilderness.
THE MESSAGE
Joshua and all Israel let themselves be chased; they ran toward the wilderness. Everybody in the city was called to the chase. They pursued Joshua and were led away from the city. There wasn't a soul left in Ai or Bethel who wasn't out there chasing after Israel. The city was left empty and undefended as they were chasing Israel down.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Joshua and all Israel pretended to be beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.

Contextual Overview

9 Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent that night with the army. 10 Bright and early the next morning Joshua gathered the army, and he and the leaders of Israel marched at the head of it to Ai. 11 All the troops that were with him marched up and drew near the city. They camped north of Ai on the other side of the valley. 12 He took five thousand men and set an ambush west of the city between Bethel and Ai. 13 The army was in position—the main army north of the city and the rear guard west of the city. That night Joshua went into the middle of the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw Israel, he and his whole army quickly got up the next day and went out to fight Israel at the meeting place near the Arabah. But he did not realize men were hiding behind the city. 15 Joshua and all Israel pretended to be defeated by them and they retreated along the way to the desert. 16 All the reinforcements in Ai were ordered to chase them; they chased Joshua and were lured away from the city. 17 No men were left in Ai or Bethel; they all went out after Israel. They left the city wide open and chased Israel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

by the way: Joshua 18:12

Reciprocal: Joshua 16:1 - the water Judges 20:32 - Let us flee Judges 20:36 - for the men

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them,.... Or smitten, as some of them might be in the pursuit:

and fled by the way of the wilderness; not a barren desert, but, according to Kimchi and Ben Melech, a place for the pasture of cattle; though perhaps it is the same with the wilderness of Bethaven,

Joshua 18:12. Epiphanius w makes mention of the wilderness of Bethel and Ephraim as near Jericho.

w Contr. Haeres. l. 1. tom. 2.


 
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