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.
8–BOB
Ay shahri magʻlub boʻladi va vayron qilinadi
1 Egamiz Yoshuaga aytdi: “Qoʻrqma, vahimaga tushma, barcha jangga yaroqli erkaklarni boshlab, Ay shahriga borgin. Mana, Ay shohini uning xalqi, shahri va yeri bilan birga senga berganman. 2 Yerixo va uning shohini nima qilgan boʻlsangiz, Ay va uning shohini ham xuddi shunday qilasizlar. Faqat shahardagi mol–mulklarni va barcha chorvani oʻzingizga oʻlja qilib olsangiz boʻladi. Shaharning orqasida pistirma qoʻyinglar.”
3 Yoshua va hamma jangga yaroqli erkaklar Ayga hujum qilishga tayyorlanishdi. Yoshua oʻz lashkari orasidan oʻttiz ming jangchini tanlab oldi. Tunda joʻnatayotib, 4 ularga shunday buyruq berdi:
— Borib, shaharning orqasida pistirma qoʻying, shahardan uzoqqa bormang, hammangiz sergak boʻlib turing. 5 Men odamlarim bilan shaharga yaqinlashaman. Ular bizga qarshi chiqqanda, oldingiday biz ulardan qochamiz. 6 Bizni quvib, dushmanlar shahardan ancha uzoqlashib ketadi. Ular oʻzlaricha: “Dushmanlarimiz yana oldingiday bizdan qochyapti”, deb oʻylashadi. Biz qochayotganimizda esa 7 sizlar pistirmadan chiqib, shaharni olasizlar. Egangiz Xudo uni sizlarning qoʻlingizga beradi. 8 Shaharni olganingizdan keyin, Egamiz buyurganday, uni yondirasizlar. Mana shu buyruqlarni bajaring.
9 Shu soʻzlar bilan Yoshua ularni joʻnatib yubordi. Ular Ayning gʻarbida — Ay va Baytil oraligʻida pistirma qoʻyib, oʻsha yerda kutib yotdilar. Oʻsha tunni Yoshua qarorgohda oʻtkazdi.
10 Ertasi kuni, tong payti Yoshua jangchilarini bir joyga yigʻib, qabilalarning boshliqlari bilan birga ularni Ayga boshlab bordi. 11 Barcha jangga yaroqli kishilar u bilan ketdi. Ular shaharga yaqinlashib, Ayning shimolida qarorgoh qurishdi. Ay va ularning orasida jarlik bor edi. 12 Yoshua besh mingga yaqin odamni shaharning gʻarbiga, Ay va Baytil oraligʻida pistirma qoʻyishga yubordi. 13 Shunday qilib, jangchilar jangovar holatga keltirildi. Ularning asosiy qismi shaharning shimolida, qorovullar boʻlinmasi esa shaharning gʻarbida edi. Yoshua esa oʻsha tunni jarlikda oʻtkazdi. 14 Buni koʻrgan Ay shohi ertasi kuni tongda shoshilib, butun lashkari bilan Iordan vodiysi roʻparasidagi bir joyga Isroil xalqiga qarshi jang qilishga bordi. Ammo shoh shaharning orqasida oʻziga qarshi pistirma qoʻyilganini bilmas edi. 15 Yoshua va butun Isroil lashkari oʻzlarini yengilayotganday koʻrsatib, sahro tarafga qochishdi. 16 Yoshua va Isroil qoʻshinini quvish uchun Ay shahridagi barcha erkaklar chaqirildi. Ular Yoshua va Isroil lashkarini quvib, shahardan ancha uzoqlashib ketishdi. 17 Ay va Baytilda Isroil lashkarini quvish uchun chiqmagan birorta ham erkak qolmadi. Shaharni qoʻriqlashga hech kimni qoldirmay, Isroil lashkarini taʼqib qildilar.
18 Egamiz Yoshuaga shunday dedi: “Qoʻlingdagi nayzani Ay tomonga uzat, oʻsha shaharni sening qoʻlingga beraman.” Yoshua qoʻlidagi nayzasini shahar tomonga uzatdi. 19 U qoʻlini uzatishi bilanoq jangchilar pistirmadan otilib chiqib, shaharga hujum qilishdi. Ular shaharni qoʻlga olib, darrov unga oʻt qoʻyishdi. 20-21 Shahardan tutun chiqayotganini koʻrgan Yoshua va Isroil lashkari, “Pistirmadagilar shaharni oldi” deb, ortiga qaytgan edilar. Ular Ay shahrining odamlariga hujum qila boshlagan edilar. Ay lashkari orqaga qarasa, yonayotgan shaharning tutuni koʻkka koʻtarilyapti. Ular na u yoqqa, na bu yoqqa qocha olardilar, chunki sahroga qochgan Isroil lashkari endi orqaga burilib, ularga qarshi chiqqan edi. 22 Isroil lashkarining shahardagi qismi ham Ay odamlariga qarshi chiqqandi. Isroil lashkari ularni orqa tomondan ham, old tomondan ham oʻrab olgan edi. Isroil lashkari ularning hammasini qirib tashladi. Hech kim tirik qolmadi, birortasi ham qochib keta olmadi. 23 Ammo Ay shohini tiriklayin ushlab, Yoshuaning huzuriga olib kelishdi.
24 Isroil lashkari shahar tashqarisida — sahroda butun Ay qoʻshinini qirib tashlashdi. Ularning hammasi halok boʻlgandan keyin Isroil lashkari Ayga borib, u yerda qolganlarning hammasini yoʻq qildi. 25 Oʻsha kuni butun Ay aholisi, hammasi boʻlib oʻn ikki mingta erkak va ayol halok boʻldi. 26 Ayda yashovchilarning hammasi yoʻq qilinmaguncha, Yoshua nayza ushlagan qoʻlini tushirmadi. 27 Egamiz Yoshuaga buyurganday, Isroil lashkari faqatgina mol–qoʻy va shahar aholisining mol–mulkini oʻzlariga oʻlja qilib oldi. 28 Yoshua Ay shahrini yondirib yubordi. Oʻsha shahar bugungacha vayron boʻlib yotibdi. 29 Ay shohini esa qatl ettirib, jasadini tik oʻrnatilgan xodaning uchiga qoqtirdi. Uning jasadi kechgacha oʻsha yerda osilib turdi. Quyosh botgandan keyin, Isroil jangchilari Yoshuaning buyrugʻiga koʻra, jasadni xodadan tushirib, shahar darvozasining ostonasiga tashladilar. Uning ustiga katta tosh uyumi toʻpladilar. Shu tosh uyumi bugungacha oʻsha yerdadir.
Yoshua Ebal togʻida Tavrot kitobidan oʻqiydi
30 Keyin Yoshua Isroil xalqining Xudosiga — Egamizga Ebal togʻida qurbongoh qurdi . 31 U qurbongohni Egamizning quli Musoning Tavrot kitobidagi koʻrsatmalarga rioya qilgan holda, temir asbob tegmagan, yoʻnilmagan toshlardan qurgan edi. Xalq oʻsha qurbongohda Egamizga kuydiriladigan qurbonlik va tinchlik qurbonliklari keltirdi. 32 Oʻsha yerda — Isroil xalqining koʻzi oldida Yoshua toshlarga Muso yozgan qonunlarning nusxasini yozdi.
33 Qabila oqsoqollari, nazoratchilari, hakamlari, butun Isroil xalqi va ularning orasida yashayotgan qondosh boʻlmagan odamlar Egamizning Ahd sandigʻi qarshisida — uni koʻtarib turgan levi ruhoniylarining oldida turishdi. Xalqning yarmi Garizim togʻi etagida, yarmisi Ebal togʻi etagida turardi. Egamizning quli Muso, Isroil xalqini duo qilish vaqti kelganda shunday qilinglar, deb buyurgan edi . 34 Keyin Yoshua Tavrot kitobida yozilganday, qonunlarning har bir soʻzini, baraka va laʼnatlarga oid parchalarni oʻqidi. 35 Butun Isroil jamoasi oldida, ayollaru bolalar, Isroil xalqi orasida yashayotgan, ularga qondosh boʻlmaganlar oldida, Muso ularga buyurgan qonunlarni Yoshua bitta qoldirmay oʻqidi.
