The Capture and Destruction of Ai
1 The Lord said to Joshua, “Take all the soldiers with you and go on up to Ai. Don't be afraid or discouraged. I will give you victory over the king of Ai; his people, city, and land will be yours. 2 You are to do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, but this time you may keep its goods and livestock for yourselves. Prepare to attack the city by surprise from the rear.”
3 So Joshua got ready to go to Ai with all his soldiers. He picked out thirty thousand of his best troops and sent them out at night 4 with these orders: “Hide on the other side of the city, but not too far away from it; be ready to attack. 5 My men and I will approach the city. When the men of Ai come out against us, we will turn and run, just as we did the first time. 6 They will pursue us until we have led them away from the city. They will think that we are running from them, as we did before. 7 Then you will come out of hiding and capture the city. The Lord your God will give it to you. 8 After you have taken the city, set it on fire, just as the Lord has commanded. These are your orders.” 9 So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.
10 Early in the morning Joshua got up and called the soldiers together. Then he and the leaders of Israel led them to Ai. 11 The soldiers with him went toward the main entrance to the city and set up camp on the north side, with a valley between themselves and Ai. 12 He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel. 13 The soldiers were arranged for battle with the main camp north of the city and the rest of the men to the west. Joshua spent the night in the valley. 14 When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear. 15 Joshua and his men pretended that they were retreating, and ran away toward the barren country. 16 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. 17 Every man in Ai went after the Israelites, and the city was left wide open, with no one to defend it.
18 Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Point your spear at Ai; I am giving it to you.” Joshua did as he was told, 19 and as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly, ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire. 20 When the men of Ai looked back, they saw the smoke rising to the sky. There was no way for them to escape, because the Israelites who had run toward the barren country now turned around to attack them. 21 When Joshua and his men saw that the others had taken the city and that it was on fire, they turned around and began killing the men of Ai. 22 The Israelites in the city now came down to join the battle. So the men of Ai found themselves completely surrounded by Israelites, and they were all killed. No one got away, and no one lived through it 23 except the king of Ai. He was captured and taken to Joshua.
24 The Israelites killed every one of the enemy in the barren country where they had chased them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there. 25-26 Joshua kept his spear pointed at Ai and did not put it down until every person there had been killed. The whole population of Ai was killed that day—twelve thousand men and women. 27 The Israelites kept for themselves the livestock and goods captured in the city, as the Lord had told Joshua. 28 Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today. 29 He hanged the king of Ai from a tree and left his body there until evening. At sundown Joshua gave orders for the body to be removed, and it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. They covered it with a huge pile of stones, which is still there today.
The Law Is Read at Mount Ebal
30 Then Joshua built on Mount Ebal an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel. 31 He made it according to the instructions that Moses, the Lord's servant, had given the Israelites, as it says in the Law of Moses: “an altar made of stones which have not been cut with iron tools.” On it they offered burnt sacrifices to the Lord, and they also presented their fellowship offerings. 32 There, with the Israelites looking on, Joshua made on the stones a copy of the Law which Moses had written. 33 The Israelites, with their leaders, officers, and judges, as well as the foreigners among them, stood on two sides of the Lord's Covenant Box, facing the levitical priests who carried it. Half of the people stood with their backs to Mount Gerizim and the other half with their backs to Mount Ebal. The Lord's servant Moses had commanded them to do this when the time came for them to receive the blessing. 34 Joshua then read aloud the whole Law, including the blessings and the curses, just as they are written in the book of the Law. 35 Every one of the commandments of Moses was read by Joshua to the whole gathering, which included women and children, as well as the foreigners living among them.
Omahuuriro nomanyoneno wotjihuro Ai
1 Tjazumba Muhona wa tja nai ku Josua: “O tira, nu o mumapara! Toora ovarwe voye wovita avehe, nu u yende kOai. Ami me ku pe outoṋi kombanda yombara ya Ai; notjiwaṋa notjihuro tje nehi re mavi rire ovyoye. 2 Tjita kOai na kombara yatjo otja tji wa tjita kOjeriko na kombara yatjo. Nungwari otjikando hi ovipundwa novinamuinyo vyatjo ngavi rire ovyoye. Rirongera okurwisa otjihuro amo tji tjendjerekere kongotwe.”
3 Josua otje rirongera na i kOai puna ovarwe ve wovita avehe. Eye wa toorora ovarumendu omapenda omayovi omirongo vitatu ne ve hindi ouṱuku. 4 Neye wa rakiza a tja: “Kaṱareye munda mbwina wotjihuro kongurova, nungwari amu i kokure tjinene na tjo, nu mu rirongere okurwa. 5 Ami novarumendu vandje wovita matu hungama otjihuro. Owo tji mave piti okuturwisa otja tji va tjita yaruka ovihahambunda. 6 Owo mave tu kongorere, ngandu indu tji twe ve pitisa ohumburuko notjihuro. Nu mave tjangovasi matu tupuka tjimuna tji twa tjita rutenga. 7 Eṋe piteye motutatwa tweṋu mu kambura otjihuro. Muhona, Ndjambi weṋu, me tji yandja mouvara weṋu, 8 Tji mwa zu nokukambura otjihuro, tji hwikeye otja Muhona pe mu raera. Inga owo omarakiza wandje ku eṋe.” 9 Josua otje ve hinda, nowo va ya kotutatwa twawo komunda wokongurova kwa Ai pokati ka Ai na Betel. Nu Josua wa kara mozondanda ouṱuku mbo.
10 Josua wa penduka omuhuka omunene na woronganisa ovarwe ve wovita. Eye novanane vOvaisrael otji ve ve hongorere kOai. 11 Novarwe wovita, mba ri puna ye va hungama otjihuro nave katona ozondanda komukuma wokeyuva kokunene kwa Ai; nu pokati kawo na Ai pa ri otjana. 12 Eye wa toora ovarumendu mangara omayovi yetano, ne ve ṱarisa motutatwa komukuma wokongurova kwa Ai pokati ka Ai na Betel. 13 Imbwi owo omuano ovarwe wovita mbu va ṱuninwa okunuwa: Otjimbumba otjinanḓengu tjovita tja tona ozondanda komukuma wokeyuva kokunene kwotjihuro, imba ovandu mba ri motutatwa ngunda ava ri kuṱa kongurova. Ouṱuku mbo Josua wa rara momukutu. 14 Ombara ya Ai tji ya muna otjimbumba tja Josua ya kumuka tjimanga okukarwa. Oyo novarwe vayo avehe va hungama omukutu wa Jordan ve karwisire Ovaisrael poṋa tjingepo mba pu va rwira rutenga. Oyo kai tjivirwe kutja mai rwisirwa okuza kongotwe. 15 Josua nOvaisrael avehe va tjita aayo mave yaruka ovihahambunda nave tupuka mokuti onguza. 16 Nu imba ovarumendu avehe mba ri motjihuro va woronganisiwa kutja ve ve tezere, nowo ngunda amave tezere Josua otjaave yende amave humburuka kokure notjihuro. 17 Omurumendu auhe mOai wa tezera Ovaisrael. Otjihuro tja isiwa tjo nokuhinaumwe ngu me tji yeura.
18 Muhona wa tja nai ku Josua: “Urika nengaruvyo roye kOai, orondu ami me tji yandja kove.” Nu Josua wa tjita otja punga a raerwa. 19 Neye tja yera eke re, ovarumendu, mba ṱarere motutatwa, va hakahana okusekama nave hiti motjihuro nave tji kambura. Tjimanga va hwika otjihuro. 20 Ovarumendu va Ai tji va taviza kombunda arire tji va munu omuise amau sekama meyuru. Nu kapa ri oruveze ku wo okutaura, orondu Ovaisrael, mba tupuka mokuti onguza, va tanauka nave ve rwisa. 21 Josua nOvaisrael avehe tji va muna kutja imba mba ri motutatwa va kambura otjihuro, nokutja otjo matji pi otji va tanauka nave utu okuzepa ovarumendu va Ai. 22 Ovaisrael, mba ri motjihuro, va utukira ovarumendu va Ai nave ve rwisa wina. Novandu va Ai va koverwa oparukaze nave ṱu i Ovaisrael. Kape na umwe wawo ngwa tupuka poo ngwa hupa, 23 posi yombara ya Ai ondja kamburwa nai twarewa ku Josua.
24 Ovaisrael va zepa ovanavita avehe mbe ve tezera nga mokuti onguza. Tjazumba va yaruka kOai nave kazepa avehe mba ri ngo. 25 Ovature avehe va Ai mba ṱa meyuva ndo, ovarumendu novakazendu, va ri omayovi omurongo na yevari. 26 Nu Josua wa ṱiza enga re ama urike na ro kotjihuro Ai, ne he ri twa pehi nga ovandu avehe mu tjo tji va ṱu. 27 Ovaisrael ve rikamburira ovinamuinyo novihuurwa avihe motjihuro otja Muhona punga a raerere ku Josua. 28 Josua wa hwika Ai ne tji esa etundu nga ku ndinondi. 29 Neye wa turika ombara ya Ai komuti ne mu esa mbo nga kongurova. Nu komahitiro weyuva Josua wa raera kutja ve turure orurova nu ve ru yumbe pehi pomuvero wotjihuro. Nowo va rongera ko omawe nge ri ko nga ku ndinondi.
Omatwako maye reserwa kondundu Ebal
30 Josua wa tungira Muhona, Ndjambi wa Israel, otjipunguhiro kondundu Ebal.Otjipunguhiro 31 Eye we tji ungura otja komarakiza wa Moses, omukarere wa Muhona, nga raerere kOvaisrael otja tji pa tjangwa mEmbo rOmatwako ra Moses: “Otjipunguhiro tjomawe nge ha kerwe noviungurise vyovitenda.” Owo va punguhira Muhona ozombunguhiro ozoningiririsiwa ku tjo, nozombunguhiro zohange wina. 32 Ovaisrael ngunda amave tarere, Josua wa tjanga rukwao komawe wotjipunguhiro hi inga omatwako Moses nga tjangererere Ovaisrael. 33 Ovaisrael avehe novanane, novatjange novapangure vawo, na wina ovozonganda mba ri mokati kawo, va kurama komikuma aviyevari vyOtjipwikiro tjOmerikutiropamwe wa Muhona, amave tara kovapristeri Ovalevi mbaa ve tji tjindi. Orumbembera rumwe rwovandu rwa kuramene meṋe yondundu Garisim, nu indwi orukwao rwa kuramene meṋe yondundu Ebal. Moses, omukarere wa Muhona, we ve rakizire rukuru kutja ve tjite nai, oruveze Ovaisrael ndu mave serwa ondaya tji maru ya. 34 Josua we ve resera omatwako aehe neraka enene, na wina ondaya nosengiro otja tji vya tjangwa mEmbo rOmatwako. 35 Josua wa resera ombongarero aihe, ovakazendu novanatje novozonganda mba ri mokati kawo wina inga omatwako aehe wa Moses.
