Joshua 8:20 - Easy To Read Version

²⁰ The men from Ai looked back and saw their city burning. They saw the smoke rising into the sky. So they lost their strength and courage. They quit chasing the men of Israel. The men from Israel stopped running away. They turned and went to fight the men from Ai. There was no safe place for the men from Ai to run to.

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

²⁰ And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

²⁰ When the men of Ai looked back, behold, the smoke of the city went up to the heavens, and they had no power to flee this way or that way. Then the Israelites who fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

American Standard Version (1901)

²⁰ And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw, and, behold, the smoke of the city ascended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.

Common English Bible

²⁰ Then the men of Ai turned around. They caught sight of the smoke of the city rising toward the sky. They had no chance to flee one way or the other. The troops who were fleeing toward the desert turned against the pursuit.

Catholic Public Domain Version

²⁰ Now the men of the city who were pursuing Joshua, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rising up even to heaven, were no longer able to flee in one direction or another, especially since those who had pretended to flee, and who were heading toward the wilderness, had turned back very strongly against those who were pursuing them.

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

²⁰ And the men of the city, that pursued after Josue, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rise up to heaven, had no more power to flee this way or that way: especially as they that had counterfeited flight, and were going toward the wilderness, turned back most valiantly against them that pursued.

Joshua 8:20 Cross References

Genesis 19:28

Abraham looked down toward the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham looked at all the land in the valley. Abraham saw much smoke rising from the land. It looked like smoke from a very big fire.

Job 11:20

Bad people might look for help,\par but they won’t escape their troubles.\par Their hope leads only to death.”\par

Psalm 76:5

Those soldiers thought they were strong.\par But now they lie dead in the fields.\par Their bodies are stripped of all they owned.\par None of those strong soldiers could defend themselves.\par

Isaiah 34:10

The fires will burn day and night—no person will stop the fire. The smoke will rise from Edom forever. That land will be destroyed forever and ever. No people will ever travel through that land again.

Joshua 8:19

The men of Israel that were hiding saw this. They quickly came out from their hiding place and hurried toward the city. They entered the city and took control of it. Then the soldiers started fires to burn the city.

Joshua 8:21

Joshua and his men saw that his army had taken control of the city. They saw the smoke rising from the city. This was when they stopped running away, turned and ran toward the men of Ai to fight them.

Revelation 18:9

“The rulers of the earth who sinned sexually with her (Babylon) and shared her wealth will see the smoke from her burning. Then those rulers will cry and be sad because of her \{death\}.

Revelation 19:3

Those people in heaven also said:

Judges 20:38

Now the men of Israel had made a plan with the men that were hiding. The men that were hiding were supposed to send a special signal. The men were supposed to make a big cloud of smoke.