1 Então o Senhor disse a Josué: Não tenhas medo, nem te desencorajes. Leva o exército todo e avança contra Ai, porque agora hás-de conquistá-la. Entreguei-te o rei de Ai, assim como todo o seu povo, nas tuas mãos. Farás com eles como fizeste a Jericó e ao seu rei, mas desta vez poderão guardar o que tiver sido saqueado, mais o gado, para vocês. Ponham uma emboscada por detrás da cidade.3 Antes que o grosso do exército se deslocasse para Ai, Josué enviou trinta mil dos seus soldados mais valentes para se emboscarem, mesmo atrás da cidade, preparados para entrarem em acção.5 É este o plano, explicou-lhes. Quando o exército atacar, os homens de Ai virão combater-nos como fizeram antes, e nós fugiremos. Deixá-los-emos perseguirem-nos até que todos tenham abandonado a povoação; porque hão-de pensar assim, 'Os israelitas estão a fugir de nós, tal como fizeram antes!' Será então a altura de vocês saírem da vossa emboscada e de entrarem na cidade, porque é o Senhor quem vo-la dá. Ponham fogo a tudo; é a ordem do Senhor. São estas as instruções que terão que cumprir.9 Assim aquele batalhão de soldados especiais partiu de noite e emboscou-se entre Betel e o ocidente de Ai. Mas Josué e o resto do exército permaneceu no acampamento em Jericó. Na manhã seguinte logo muito cedo Josué despertou os seus homens e partiu para Ai, acompanhado dos anciãos de Israel, e parou à entrada do vale que está a norte da cidade. Ainda durante a noite, Josué tinha mandado mais cinco mil homens- além dos outros trinta mil- para se juntarem às tropas emboscadas a oeste da povoação. Ele próprio passara a noite no vale a norte da cidade. P14 O rei de Ai, vendo os israelitas espalhados nesse vale, saiu logo e atacou-os na planície de Arabá. Não se deu conta de que havia uma emboscada por detrás da povoação. O exército israelita com Josué no comando fugiu em direcção do deserto como se já estivesse a ser derrotado por eles; por isso todos os combatentes da povoação foram chamados a perseguirem-nos, deixando-a dessa forma sem defesa. Não ficou um só soldado em Ai, nem sequer em Betel, e as portas da cidade ficaram abertas de par em par.18 Então o Senhor disse a Josué: Aponta a tua lança em direcção a Ai porque ta darei. Josué obedeceu. E quando os homens da emboscada viram aquele sinal saltaram dos esconderijos e lançaram-se sobre a cidade, pondo-lhe fogo. A gente de Ai voltou-se e viu o fumo da sua cidade escurecendo o céu, percebendo então que não tinham para onde ir. Josué e os seus soldados ao verem igualmente o fumo do incêndio tiveram a certeza de que os companheiros que tinham ficado emboscados se encontravam já dentro da povoação; então voltaram-se contra os seus perseguidores e começaram a liquidá-los. Os israelitas que estavam em Ai sairam e puseram-se também, da sua banda, a destruí-los, de tal forma que, apanhados entre as duas forças, como numa ratoeira, acabaram todos por morrer; nenhum escapou ou sobreviveu excepto o rei que foi capturado e trazido a Josué.24 Quando o exército de Israel acabou de matar os homens todos que se encontravam fora da cidade, voltaram para a povoação e mataram a gente que lá tinha ficado dentro.25 Foi assim que a população de Ai, ao todo doze mil pessoas, caiu naquele dia.26 Porque Josué manteve a sua lança apontada para Ai até que toda a gente tivesse morrido. Somente o gado e o despojo saqueado não foi destruído, pois desta vez os combatentes de Israel puderam guardar isso para si. Aliás foi mesmo o Senhor quem disse a Josué que eles podiam fazer isso desta vez. Ai tornou-se num montão de ruínas desoladas e assim se manteve até ao dia de hoje.29 Josué mandou enforcar o rei de Ai numa árvore e lá ficar até ao fim do dia; ao pôr do Sol tiraram o corpo e puseram-no num sítio em frente da porta da povoação, levantando sobre ele um grande montão de pedras, que ainda lá se pode ver hoje.30 Depois Josué construiu um altar ao Senhor Deus de Israel no monte Ebal, tal como Moisés mandara e está escrito no livro das suas leis: O Senhor diz para lhe levantarem um altar no monte Ebal, feito de pedras inteiras e que nunca tenham sido esculpidas. Então os sacerdotes ofereceram holocaustos e sacrifícios de paz ao Senhor sobre o altar. E na frente de todo o povo de Israel Josué gravou sobre as pedras do altar cada um dos dez mandamentos.33 Todo o povo de Israel, incluindo os anciãos, os chefes, os juízes e os estrangeiros que viviam com Israel, se dividiu em dois grupos, metade pondo-se junto ao monte de Gerizim e a outra metade ao pé do monte Ebal. Entre os dois grupos puseram-se os sacerdotes com a arca, prontos a pronunciar as suas bênçãos. Tudo isto foi feito de acordo com as instruções dadas muito antes por Moisés.34 Josué leu-lhes todo o texto, exprimindo as bençãos e as maldições que Moisés escrevera no livro das leis de Deus. Todos os mandamentos que Moisés tinha dado anteriormente foram lidos perante a assembleia inteira, incluindo mulheres, crianças e estrangeiros que viviam com eles.

1 And the LORD said to 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 to Jericho and her king: only its spoil, and its cattle, shall ye take for a prey to 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 valor, 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 to 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 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 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 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 knew 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 them: and they pursued 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 Israel.18 And the LORD said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand towards Ai; for I will give it into thy hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand towards 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 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 in which they chased them, and when they had all fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, that all the Israelites returned to 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 with which 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 to themselves, according to the word of the LORD which he commanded Joshua.28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it a heap for ever, even a desolation to this day.29 And the king of Ai he hanged on a tree until evening: and as soon as the sun was down, Joshua commanded that they should take his carcass down from the tree, and cast it at the entering of the gate of the city, and raise upon it a great heap of stones, that remaineth to this day.30 Then Joshua built an altar to 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 lifted up any iron: and they offered upon it burnt-offerings to 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 of the ark, and on that side, before the priests the Levites, who bore 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.