Study Desk

Then the LORD said to Joshua, "Reach out with the sword that is in your hand toward Ai, for I will hand it over to you." So Joshua reached out with the sword that was in his hand toward the city.

The others came out from the city to confront them, so that they were trapped in the midst of Israel, some on this side and some on that side; and they killed them until there was not one left who escaped or survived.

So all who fell that day, both men and women, were twelve thousand—all the people of Ai.

So Joshua burned Ai and made it a refuse heap forever, a desolation until this day.

So they said to Joshua, "We are your servants." Then Joshua said to them, "Who are you and where do you come from?"

"So our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, 'Take provisions in your hand for the journey, and go to meet them, and say to them, "We are your servants; now then, make a covenant with us."'

So the men of Israel took some of their provisions, and did not ask for the counsel of the LORD.

"This we will do to them, even let them live, so that wrath will not be on us because of the oath which we swore to them."

So the leaders said to them, "Let them live." And they became gatherers of firewood and labor to draw water for the whole congregation, just as the leaders had spoken to them.

So they answered Joshua and said, "Since your servants were fully informed that the LORD your God had commanded His servant Moses to give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land before you, we feared greatly for our lives because of you, and did this thing.

Now it came about when Adoni-zedek king of Jerusalem heard that Joshua had captured Ai, and had utterly destroyed it (just as he had done to Jericho and its king, so he had done to Ai and its king), and that the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were within their land,

So the five kings of the Amorites, the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon, gathered together and went up, they with all their armies, and camped by Gibeon and fought against it.

So Joshua went up from Gilgal, he and all the people of war with him, and all the valiant warriors.

So Joshua came upon them suddenly by marching all night from Gilgal.

So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, Until the nation avenged themselves of their enemies. Is it not written in the Book of Jashar? And the sun stopped in the middle of the sky and did not hurry to go down for about a whole day.

So Joshua said, "Roll large stones against the mouth of the cave, and post men by it to guard them,

They did so, and brought these five kings out to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon.

When they brought these kings out to Joshua, Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the leaders of the men of war who had gone with him, "Come forward, put your feet on the necks of these kings." So they came forward and put their feet on their necks.

So afterward Joshua struck them and put them to death, and he hanged them on five trees; and they were hung on the trees until evening.

Now Joshua captured Makkedah on that day, and struck it and its king with the edge of the sword; he utterly destroyed it and every person who was in it. He left no survivor. So he did to the king of Makkedah just as he had done to the king of Jericho.