"You shall doto Aiand its kingjustas you didto Jerichoand its king;you shall takeonlyits spoiland its cattleas plunderfor yourselves. Setan ambushfor the citybehindit."
But Jeroboamhad setan ambushto comefrom the rear,so that [Israel] was in frontof Judahand the ambushwas behindthem.
Whenthey begansingingand praising,the LORDsetambushesagainstthe sonsof Ammon,Moaband MountSeir,who had comeagainst Judah;so they were routed.
"Surelyeverymanwalksabout as a phantom;Surelythey makean uproarfor nothing;He amasses[riches] and does not knowwhowill gatherthem.
A goodmanleavesan inheritanceto his children'schildren,And the wealthof the sinneris storedup for the righteous.
A faithfulmanwill aboundwith blessings,But he who makeshasteto be richwill not gounpunished.
"As a partridgethat hatcheseggswhich it has not laid,[So] is he who makesa fortune,but unjustly;In the midstof his daysit will forsakehim, And in the endhe will be a fool."
Liftup a signalagainstthe wallsof Babylon;Posta strongguard,Stationsentries,Placemen in ambush!For the LORDhas bothpurposedand performedWhatHe spokeconcerningthe inhabitantsof Babylon.
"We tookonlythe animalsas our bootyand the spoilof the citieswhichwe had captured.
"Onlythe womenand the childrenand the animalsand allthat is in the city,allits spoil,you shall takeas bootyfor yourself; and you shall usethe spoilof your enemieswhichthe LORDyour Godhas givenyou.
"But the LORDsaidto me, 'Do not fearhim, for I have deliveredhim and allhis peopleand his landinto your hand;and you shall doto him justas you didto Sihonkingof the Amorites,wholivedat Heshbon.'
Now it cameabout when Adoni-zedekkingof Jerusalemheardthat Joshuahad capturedAi,and had utterlydestroyedit (justas he had doneto Jerichoand its king,sohe had doneto Aiand its king),and that the inhabitantsof Gibeonhad madepeacewith Israeland were withintheir land,
Now JoshuacapturedMakkedahon that day,and struckit and its kingwith the edgeof the sword;he utterlydestroyedit and everypersonwhowas in it. He leftnosurvivor.Thus he didto the kingof Makkedahjustas he had doneto the kingof Jericho.
Allthe spoilof thesecitiesand the cattle,the sonsof Israeltookas their plunder;but they struckeverymanwith the edgeof the sword,untilthey had destroyedthem. They leftnoonewhobreathed.
They utterlydestroyedeverythingin the city,bothmanand woman,youngand old,and oxand sheepand donkey,with the edgeof the sword.
And he tookabout 5,000menand setthem in ambushbetweenBetheland Ai,on the westsideof the city.
It cameabout when the kingof Aisaw[it], that the menof the cityhurriedand roseup earlyand wentout to meetIsraelin battle,he and allhis peopleat the appointedplacebeforethe desertplain.But he did not knowthat [there was] an ambushagainst him behindthe city.
The [men in] ambushrosequicklyfrom their place,and when he had stretchedout his hand,they ranand enteredthe cityand capturedit, and they quicklysetthe cityon fire.
Now when Israelhad finishedkillingallthe inhabitantsof Aiin the fieldin the wildernesswherethey pursuedthem, and allof them were fallenby the edgeof the sworduntilthey were destroyed,then allIsraelreturnedto Aiand struckit with the edgeof the sword.
So Joshuarosewith allthe peopleof warto goup to Ai;and Joshuachose30000men,valiantwarriors,and sentthem out at night.
"And you shall risefrom [your] ambushand takepossessionof the city,for the LORDyour Godwill deliverit into your hand.
"Then it will be when you have seizedthe city,that you shall setthe cityon fire.You shall do[it] according to the wordof the LORD.See,I have commandedyou."
So Joshuasentthem away,and they wentto the place of ambushand remainedbetweenBetheland Ai,on the westsideof Ai;but Joshuaspentthat nightamongthe people.
When the inhabitantsof GibeonheardwhatJoshuahad doneto Jerichoand to Ai,
