1. Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Don’t be afraid; don’t give up. Lead all your fighting men to Ai. I will help you defeat the king of Ai. I am giving you his people, his city, and his land.
2. You will do to Ai and its king the same thing you did to Jericho and its king. Only this time you can take all the wealth and animals and keep it for yourselves. You will share the wealth with your people. Now, tell some of your soldiers to hide behind the city.”
3. So Joshua led his whole army toward Ai. Then Joshua chose 30,000 of his best fighting men and sent them out at night.
4. Joshua gave them this command: “Listen carefully to what I tell you. You must hide in the area behind the city. Wait for the time to attack. Don’t go far from the city. Continue to watch and be ready.
5. I will lead the men with me; we will march toward the city. The men in the city will come out to fight against us. We will turn and run away from them as we did before.
6. These men will chase us away from the city, so we will run away. They will think that we are running away from them as we did before.
7. Then you should come out of your hiding place and take control of the city. The Lord your God will give you the power to win.
8. “You must do what the Lord says. Watch me and I will give you the command to attack the city. When you have taken control of the city, burn it.”
9. Then Joshua sent them to their hiding place and waited. They went to a place west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. But Joshua stayed the night with his people.
10. Early the next morning Joshua gathered the men together. Then Joshua and the leaders of Israel led the men to Ai.