3. So Joshua led his whole army toward Ai. Then he chose 30,000 of his best fighting men. He sent these men out at night.
4. Joshua gave them these orders: “Listen carefully. You must set up an ambush behind the city. Don’t go far from it. Continue to watch and be ready.
5. I and the men who are with me will march toward the city. The men in the city will come out to fight us. Then we will turn and run away from them as we did before.
6. They will chase us away from the city. They will think we are running away from them as we did before. When we run away,
7. come out from your ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give you the power to win.
8. After you take the city, burn it. See to it! You have your orders.”
9. Then Joshua sent them to their place of ambush to wait. They went to a place between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua stayed the night with his people.
10. Early the next morning Joshua gathered his men together. He and the older leaders of Israel led them to Ai.
11. All of the soldiers who were with Joshua marched to Ai. They stopped in front of the city and made camp north of Ai. There was a valley between them and the city.
12. Then Joshua chose about 5,000 men. He set them in ambush in the area west of the city between Bethel and Ai.
13. So the people took their positions. The main camp was north of the city. The other men were hiding to the west. That night Joshua went down into the valley.
14. Now the king of Ai saw the army of Israel. So he and his people got up early the next morning and hurried out to fight them. They went out to a place east of the city. The king did not know soldiers were waiting in ambush behind the city.