1 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed: take all the people of war with thee, and arise, go up to Ai: see, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his land: 2 And thou shalt do to Ai and her king as thou didst unto Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take for a prey unto yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.
3 ¶ So Joshua arose, and all the people of war, to go up against Ai: and Joshua chose out thirty thousand mighty men of valour, and sent them away by night. 4 And he commanded them, saying, Behold, ye shall lie in wait against the city, even behind the city: go not very far from the city, but be ye all ready: 5 And I, and all the people that are with me, will approach unto the city: and it shall come to pass, when they come out against us, as at the first, that we will flee before them, 6 (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them. 7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set the city on fire: according to the commandment of the LORD shall ye do. See, I have commanded you.
9 ¶ Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people. 10 And Joshua rose up early in the morning, and numbered the people, and went up, he and the elders of Israel, before the people to Ai. 11 And all the people, even the people of war that were with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north side of Ai: now there was a valley between them and Ai. 12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in ambush between Beth-el and Ai, on the west side of the city. 13 And when they had set the people, even all the host that was on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the west of the city, Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.
14 ¶ And it came to pass, when the king of Ai saw it , that they hasted and rose up early, and the men of the city went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the city. 15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 16 And all the people that were in Ai were called together to pursue after them: and they pursued after Joshua, and were drawn away from the city. 17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. 18 And the LORD said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city. 19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he had stretched out his hand: and they entered into the city, and took it, and hasted and set the city on fire. 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. 21 And when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew the men of Ai. 22 And the other issued out of the city against them; so they were in the midst of Israel, some on this side, and some on that side: and they smote them, so that they let none of them remain or escape.
23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. 24 And it came to pass, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they chased them, and when they were all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned unto Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword. 25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. 26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 27 Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua. 28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcase down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.
30 ¶ Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal, 31 As Moses the servant of the LORD commanded the children of Israel, as it is written in the book of the law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, over which no man hath lift up any iron: and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the LORD, and sacrificed peace offerings.
32 ¶ And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel. 33 And all Israel, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, stood on this side the ark and on that side before the priests the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the LORD, as well the stranger, as he that was born among them; half of them over against mount Gerizim, and half of them over against mount Ebal; as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded before, that they should bless the people of Israel. 34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessings and cursings, according to all that is written in the book of the law. 35 There was not a word of all that Moses commanded, which Joshua read not before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers that were conversant among them.
Ai tashi hanaunwa po
1 Opo nee Omwene okwa lombwela Josua ndele ta ti: “Ino tila, ino mbadapala! Kufa omatanga aeshe ovakwaita pamwe naave, fikama inda kuAi. Tala, ohandi yandje momake oye ohamba yaAi novanhu vayo noshilando shayo noshilongo shayo. 2 Ndele ove u nokuninga Ai nohamba yasho ngaashi wa ningile Jeriko nohamba yasho. Ashike oixuulwa yasho noimuna yasho otamu i litinhile. Tula ehonyeno konima yoshilando.” 3 Opo nee Josua okwa fikama pamwe nomatanga aeshe ovakwaita a ka homone Ai. Ndele Josua okwa hoolola ovalumenhu ovakwanyati omayovi omilongo nhatu nokwe va tuma ko oufiku. 4 Ndele ye okwe va lombwela ndele ta ti: “Taleni, nye mu nokutula ehonyeno konima yoshilando. Inamu ya kokule moshilando ndele kaleni nye amushe mwe lilongekida. 5 Ndele ame nomatanga aeshe ovakwaita ava ve li pwaame, fye ohatu ke uya koshilando. Vo eshi tava di mo oku tu lwifa ngaashi shito, fye ohatu ke va ya onhapo. 6 Ndele vo otave tu shikula fiyo fye twe va ehenifa kokule noshilando, osheshi vo otava ka diladila: Venya tave tu i onhapo ngaashi shito. Ndele fye ohatu ke va ya onhapo. 7 Opo nee nye mu nokudja mo mehonyeno nokutotela oshilando, osheshi Omwene Kalunga keni ote ke shi mu pa. 8 Ndele nye ngeenge mwa totela oshilando mu noku shi tomeka, pandjovo yOmwene mu noku shi ninga. Taleni, ame ohandi shi mu lombwele.” 9 Osho ngaha hano Josua okwe va tuma ko, ndele vo ova ya kehonyeno ndele va kala pokati kaBetel naAi, kombinga yokouninginino waAi. Ndelenee Josua okwa li oufiku winya pamwe novanhu.
10 Josua okwa meneka nokwa ongela omatanga ovakwaita nokwa ya pamwe novakulunhu vaIsrael komesho yomatanga kuAi. 11 Ndele omatanga aeshe ovakwaita aa a li puye a fikama ndele a ehena ndele a fika komesho yoshilando. Ndele vo ova onga onhanda kombinga yokoumbangalanhu woshilando shaAi. Efilu ola li pokati kavo naAi. 12 Osho ngaha hano ye okwa kufa ngeno ovakwaita omayovi atano nokwe va tula mehonyeno pokati kaBetel naAi kombinga yokouninginino woshilando. 13 Ndele vo ova tula ovakwaita, onhanda aishe mekondekelo kombinga yokoumbangalanhu woshilando neengudu dao dokonima kombinga yokouninginino woshilando, ndelenee Josua okwa ya oufiku winya pokati kefilu. 14 Nohamba yaAi eshi ye shi mona, ovalumenhu vomoshilando ova endelela ongula inene, ndele yo oya dja mo ya ka shakeneka Israel molwoodi, yo nomatanga ayo aeshe ovakwaita monhele ya pangelwa poluhaela. Ndelenee yo inai shiiva nokutya, opa li ehonyeno konima yoshilando shayo. 15 Ndele Josua nOvaisraeli aveshe ve lifefa va dengwa ndele ova faduka po Ovaai ndele tava yuka langhele kombuwa. 16 Opo nee ovanhu aveshe vomoshilando va shiiva oku va shikula. Ndelenee fimbo tava shikula Josua oshilando sha fyaala kokule navo. 17 MuAi nomuBetel inamu kala nande umwe, ou ina dja mo a ka taatae Ovaisraeli. Ndele va efa oshilando sha yeululwa ndele va shikula Israel.
18 Ndele Omwene okwa lombwela Josua ndele ta ti: “Eonga li li meke loye li nanena Ai, osheshi Ame nda hala oku shi yandja meke loye.” Opo nee Josua okwa nanena oshilando eonga la li meke laye. 19 Nomatanga ovakwaita aa, a li mehonyeno okwa fikama diva monhele yao ndele a tota, eshi a mona ye a nana eke laye, ndele enya a ya mo moshilando ndele e shi kwata ndele a tomeka diva oshilando. 20 Opo nee ovalumenhu vaAi, eshi va tala konima yavo, ova mona omwifi womoshilando nhumbi tau litumbu keulu. Ndelenee va li vehe na nande omhito yokufaduka po, ngee oko ile kwinya, osheshi omatanga ovakwaita ava va ya onhapo kombuwa, ova piluka ndele va lwifa ovataatai vavo. 21 Josua nOvaisraeli aveshe eshi va mona nokutya ovakwaita vomehonyeno va kwata oshilando ndele omwifi womoshilando tau litumbu pombada, ova aluka ndele ve lidengifa ovalumenhu vaAi. 22 Opo nee venya ova dja moshilando nokushakena navo, opo Ovaai ova kondekelwa pokati kOvaisraeli, vamwe kombinga ei vakwao kombinga inya. Ndelenee vo ove va ta fiyo inapa kala nande umwe a xupifwa ile a ya onhapo. 23 Ndelenee vo ova kwata ohamba yaAi, ndele ve i twala i nomwenyo kuJosua. 24 Ovaisraeli eshi va dipaa neongamukonda ovanhu vaAi aveshe ava va li moluhaela nomombuwa oko ve va taataela, ndele venya aveshe va fya fiyo okomulumenhu waxuuninwa, opo nee Ovaisraeli aveshe va aluka ndele va ya kuAi ndele venya va hanga mo ove va dipaa neongamukonda. 25 Naaveshe ava va fya mefiku olo, ovalumenhu novakainhu, ova li ve fike pomayovi omulongo nomayovi avali, oonakukalamo aveshe muAi. 26 Ndele Josua ina shunifa poshi eke laye li neonga, fimbo oonakukalamo muAi aveshe inava pwa po okudipawa. 27 Ovaisraeli ove litinhila oimuna aike noixuulwa ei ya monika moshilando palombwelo lOmwene, ngaashi Ye a lombwela Josua. 28 Opo nee Josua okwa xwika po Ai nokwe shi ninga onduba yomakuma fiyo alushe, ofuka fiyo onena eli. 29 Ndele ohamba yaAi ye okwe i endjelelifa momuti fiyo okonguloshi. Ndelenee etango eshi tali ningine mo, Josua okwe va lombwela ndele va kufa ko komuti oshimhu shayo ndele ve shi ekela poshivelo shoshilando ndele ve shi ndubila onduba inene yomamanya, ei i li ko nonena eli.
Eleshelo lOmhango keemhunda daGerisim naEbal
30 Opo nee Josua okwa tungila Omwene Kalunga kaIsrael oaltari komhunda yaEbal, 31 ngaashi Moses, omupiya wOmwene, a lombwelele ovana vaIsrael, nongaashi sha shangelwa membo lomhango yaMoses nokutya: “Oaltari ya tungwa nomamanya inaa hongwa,” aa inaa kumwa koshilongifo shoshivela. Ndele kusho va yambela Omwene omaxwikiloyambo ndele va toma omapanduloyambo. 32 Ndele oko ye okwa shangela momamanya omushangululwa womhango yaMoses, ei ye okwe i shangela ovana vaIsrael, 33 fimbo Ovaisraeli aveshe pamwe novakulunhu vavo novapashukili vavo novatokoli vavo va kala ofika kombinga nombinga yoshikefa, va shaama novapristeli Ovalevi, ovahumbati voshikefa shehangano lOmwene, heeno, omunailongo ngaashi omudalelwamo moshilongo, etata limwe lavo la taalela komhunda yaGerisim, netata likwao la taalela komhunda yaEbal, ngaashi Moses, omupiya wOmwene, a lombwelele shito oshiwana shaIsrael shi nangekwe noupuna. 34 Opo nee ye okwa lesha eendjovo adishe domhango, enangeko noupuna netulomutima, naanaa ngaashi da shangelwa membo lomhango. 35 Meendjovo odo da tongwa kuMoses inamu kala nande imwe Josua ine i leshela oshiongalele ashishe shaIsrael, pamwe novalikadi nounona novanailongo ava va enda pamwe navo.
