1 O Senhor disse em seguida a Josué: Não temas, nem tenhas cuidados. Toma contigo todos os guerreiros e sobe contra Hai. Eis que te entrego o rei de Hai, seu povo, sua cidade e sua terra.2 Tratarás Hai e seu rei como fizeste com Jericó e seu rei; mas os despojos e os rebanhos reparti-los-eis entre vós. Põe uma emboscada por detrás da cidade.3 Josué pôs-se a caminho com todos os guerreiros contra Hai. Escolheu trinta mil homens valentes e fê-los partir durante a noite.4 Deu-lhes esta ordem: Atenção! Ponde-vos em emboscada atrás da cidade, mas a pouca distância, e estai preparados.5 Eu e todo o povo que está comigo nos aproximaremos de Hai, e quando saírem ao nosso encontro como da primeira vez, nós fugiremos.6 Atraí-los-emos, em nossa perseguição, longe da cidade, pois dirão: ei-los que fogem diante de nós como da primeira vez.7 Durante essa retirada, saireis de vossa emboscada e tomareis a cidade, que vos entregará o Senhor, vosso Deus.8 Depois que a tiverdes tomado, pôr-lhe-eis fogo segundo a palavra do Senhor. Estas são as minhas ordens.9 Josué fê-los partir e eles se postaram em emboscada entre Betel e Hai, ao ocidente. Josué ficou aquela noite no meio do povo.10 Josué levantou-se bem cedo e passou em revista a sua gente. À frente de sua tropa, subiu contra Hai com os anciãos de Israel.11 Todos os guerreiros de que dispunha tinham também subido às proximidades. Chegados defronte da cidade, acamparam ao norte, tendo o vale entre eles e Hai.12 Josué tomou cerca de cinco mil homens e os pôs de emboscada entre Betel e Hai, ao ocidente.13 Tendo o povo instalado todo o seu acampamento ao norte da cidade, e a emboscada ao ocidente, Josué avançou durante a noite pelo meio do vale.14 Logo que o rei de Hai viu aquilo, saiu apressadamente da cidade com a sua gente, ao amanhecer, e veio ao encontro de Israel. O rei, seguido de todo o seu povo, saiu para um lugar combinado do lado da planície, ignorando que uma emboscada estava armada contra ele atrás da cidade.15 Josué e todo o Israel, fingindo bater em retirada, fugiram para os lados do deserto.16 Então, com grandes clamores, toda a população da cidade precipitando-se ao encalço de Josué, juntou-se para persegui-los, e, afastou-se da cidade.17 Não ficou um homem sequer em Hai que não saísse em perseguição de Israel. Até deixaram escancarada a cidade.18 O Senhor disse então a Josué: Levanta a lança que tens na mão contra Hai, porque eu ta entrego. E Josué levantou a sua lança contra a cidade.19 Apenas tinha ele erguido a mão, levantaram-se subitamente os que estavam de emboscada e precipitaram-se sobre a cidade, ocupando-a e metendo-lhe fogo.20 Os habitantes de Hai, voltando-se, viram que se elevava da cidade uma grande fumaça para o céu, e não puderam fugir para lado algum, porque o povo que dava mostras de fugir para o deserto voltou-se contra eles.21 Josué e todo o Israel, vendo que os da emboscada tinham tomado a cidade e que dela subia fumaça, voltaram e feriram os habitantes de Hai.22 E, tendo os outros saído da cidade ao seu encontro, viram-se os inimigos cercados de um lado e de outro pelos israelitas, e foram feridos, de modo que não ficou sobrevivente algum, e não houve sequer um fugitivo.23 O rei de Hai foi capturado vivo e conduzido a Josué.24 Terminado o massacre dos habitantes de Hai, tanto no campo como no deserto, aonde tinham vindo em perseguição dos israelitas, depois que todos foram passados ao fio da espada, os vencedores voltaram à cidade e mataram toda a população.25 O total dos que morreram naquele dia, entre homens e mulheres, foi de doze mil, todos da cidade de Hai.26 Josué não retirou a mão que ele tinha levantado com a sua lança, até que foram mortos todos os habitantes de Hai.27 Os israelitas só tomaram os rebanhos e o espólio da cidade, conforme o Senhor tinha ordenado a Josué.28 Josué pôs fogo à cidade de Hai e fez dela para sempre um montão de cinzas, que subsiste ainda hoje.29 Mandou enforcar o rei de Hai em uma árvore, e deixou-o ali até a tarde. Ao pôr-do-sol, ordenou que se retirasse da árvore o cadáver e fosse lançado à entrada da cidade, pondo sobre ele um grande monte de pedras, que ali permanece até o dia de hoje.30 Então Josué construiu um altar ao Senhor, Deus de Israel, no monte Ebal,31 segundo a ordem que Moisés, servo do Senhor, tinha dado aos filhos de Israel, como está escrito no livro da Lei de Moisés. Construiu-o de pedras brutas ainda não tocadas pelo ferro. Ofereceram sobre ele holocaustos ao Senhor e sacrifícios de ação de graças.32 Josué gravou em pedras uma cópia da lei que Moisés tinha escrito diante dos israelitas.33 Todo o Israel, seus anciãos, seus oficiais e seus juízes conservaram-se de pé ao redor da arca, diante dos sacerdotes, dos levitas, que levavam a arca da aliança do Senhor. Ali estavam tanto os estrangeiros como os israelitas, metade deles do lado do monte Garizim, e metade do lado do monte Erbal, segundo a ordem antes dada por Moisés, servo do Senhor, para abençoar o povo de Israel.34 Depois disso, Josué leu todo o texto da lei, a bênção e a maldição, assim como estão escritas no livro da lei.35 De tudo o que Moisés havia prescrito não se omitiu uma palavra sequer nessa leitura feita por Josué diante de toda a assembléia de Israel, mulheres, crianças e estrangeiros que ali se achavam misturados.

1 And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou discouraged: take with thee all the people of war, 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 to its king as thou hast done unto Jericho and its king; only its spoil and its cattle shall ye take for booty unto yourselves; but lay thee an ambush for the city in its rear.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, in the rear of the city; go not very far from the city; and 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 that, when they come out against us, as at the first time, we will flee before them;6 And they will come out after us, till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee from us as at the first time: and we will flee before them.7 And then shall ye rise up from the ambush, and take possession of the city; and the Lord your God will deliver it in into your hand.8 And it shall be, that as soon as ye have seized the city, ye shall set the city on fire; according to the word of the Lord shall ye do: see, I have commanded you.9 And Joshua sent them off: and they went to lie in ambush, and remained 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, toward ‘Ai.11 And all the people of war that were with him went up, and drew nigh, and came opposite the city, and encamped on the north side of ‘Ai; and the valley was between them and ‘Ai.12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them as an ambush between Beth–el and ‘Ai, on the west side of ‘Ai.13 And the people, all the camp that was on the north of the city, and its ambush on the west of the city got ready; and Joshua went that night into the midst of the valley.14 And it came to pass, when the king of ‘Ai saw this, the men of the city hastened and rose up early, and went out against Israel to battle, he and all his people, at the time appointed, before the plain; but he knew not that there was an ambush against him in the rear of the city.15 And Joshua and Israel feigned themselves 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 into thy hand will I give it. And Joshua stretched out the spear which was in his hand toward the city.19 And the ambush arose quickly out of their place, and they ran as soon as he stretched out his hand; and they entered into the city, and took possession of it, and hastened and set the city on fire.20 And the men of ‘Ai turned and looked behind them, and 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 had fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers.21 For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had seized the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended: they turned back, and smote the men of ‘Ai.22 And the others issued out of the city against them; so that the Israelites had them in the middle, some on this side, and some on that side; and they smote them, until there was not left of them one that remained or escaped.23 And the king of ‘Ai they caught alive, and brought him to Joshua.24 And it came to pass, that, when Israel had made an end of slaying all the inhabitants of ‘Ai in the field, in the wilderness wherein they had pursued them, and when they were all fallen by the edge of the sword, until they were consumed, All the Israelites returned unto ‘Ai, and smote it with the edge of the sword.25 And the number of all that fell in that day, both of men and women, was twelve thousand, all the people of ‘Ai.26 And Joshua drew not back his hand, wherewith he had 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 as booty unto themselves, according to the word of the Lord which he had commanded Joshua.28 And Joshua burnt ‘Ai, and made it a ruinous heap of desolation for ever, even unto this day,29 And the king of ‘Ai he hanged on a tree until eventide; and at the going down of the sun, Joshua commanded, and they took his carcass down from the tree and cast it at the entrance of the city gate, and they raised over him a great heap of stones, which is even unto this day.30 Then did Joshua build an altar unto the Lord, the God of Israel on mount ‘Ebal,31 As Moses the servant of the Lord had 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 one had lifted up any iron tool; 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 the officers, and their judges, stood on this side and on that side of the ark, opposite the priests the Levites, who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, the stranger no less than the native born: half of them turned toward mount Gerizzim, and the other half of them turned toward mount ‘Ebal; as Moses the servant of the Lord had commanded, to bless the people of Israel at first.34 And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, all, just as it is written in the book of the law.35 There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded, which Joshua did not read before all the congregation of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the stranger that walked in the midst of them.