The King James Version of the Bible
Part 76
2296 words | Chapter 76
hid in the earth in the
midst of my tent, and the silver under it.
7:22 So Joshua sent messengers, and they ran unto the tent; and,
behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it.
7:23 And they took them out of the midst of the tent, and brought them
unto Joshua, and unto all the children of Israel, and laid them out
before the LORD.
7:24 And Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah,
and the silver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his sons,
and his daughters, and his oxen, and his asses, and his sheep, and his
tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of
Achor.
7:25 And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? the LORD shall
trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and
burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones.
7:26 And they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So
the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name
of that place was called, The valley of Achor, unto this day.
8:1 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: 8:2 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.
8:3 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.
8:4 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: 8:5 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, 8:6
(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.
8:7 Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city:
for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand.
8:8 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.
8:9 Joshua therefore sent them forth: and they went to lie in ambush,
and abode between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai: but Joshua
lodged that night among the people.
8:10 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.
8:11 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.
8:12 And he took about five thousand men, and set them to lie in
ambush between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the city.
8:13 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.
8:14 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.
8:15 And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before
them, and fled by the way of the wilderness.
8:16 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.
8:17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Bethel, that went not out
after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel.
8:18 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.
8:19 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.
8:20 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.
8:21 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.
8:22 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.
8:23 And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua.
8:24 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.
8:25 And so it was, that all that fell that day, both of men and
women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai.
8:26 For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the
spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai.
8:27 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.
8:28 And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a
desolation unto this day.
8:29 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.
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount
Ebal, 8:31 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.
8:32 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.
8:33 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.
8:34 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.
8:35 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.
9:1 And it came to pass, when all the kings which were on this side
Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coasts of the
great sea over against Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the
Canaanite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite, heard thereof;
9:2 That they gathered themselves together, to fight with Joshua and
with Israel, with one accord.
9:3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto
Jericho and to Ai, 9:4 They did work wilily, and went and made as if
they had been ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and
wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; 9:5 And old shoes and
clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread
of their provision was dry and mouldy.
9:6 And they went to Joshua unto the camp at Gilgal, and said unto
him, and to the men of Israel, We be come from a far country: now
therefore make ye a league with us.
9:7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell
among us; and how shall we make a league with you? 9:8 And they said
unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are
ye? and from whence come ye? 9:9 And they said unto him, From a very
far country thy servants are come because of the name of the LORD thy
God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt,
9:10 And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were
beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan,
which was at Ashtaroth.
9:11 Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spake
to us, saying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet
them, and say unto them, We are your servants: therefore now make ye a
league with us.
9:12 This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on
the day we came forth to go unto you; but now, behold, it is dry, and
it is mouldy: 9:13 And these bottles of wine, which we filled, were
new; and, behold, they be rent: and these our garments and our shoes
are become old by reason of the very long journey.
9:14 And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the
mouth of the LORD.
9:15 And Joshua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to
let them live: and the princes of the congregation sware unto them.
9:16 And it came to pass at the end of three days after they had made
a league with them, that they heard that they were their neighbours,
and that they dwelt among them.
9:17 And the children of Israel journeyed, and came unto their cities
on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon, and Chephirah, and
Beeroth, and Kirjathjearim.
9:18 And the children of Israel smote them not, because the princes of
the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And
all the congregation murmured against the princes.
9:19 But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn
unto them by the LORD God of Israel: now therefore we may not touch
them.
9:20 This we will do to them; we will even let them live, lest wrath
be upon us, because of the oath which we sware unto them.
9:21 And the princes said unto them, Let them live; but let them be
hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation; as the
princes had promised them.
9:22 And Joshua called for them, and he spake unto them, saying,
Wherefore have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you; when
ye dwell among us? 9:23 Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall
none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and
drawers of water for the house of my God.
9:24 And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told
thy servants, how that the LORD thy God commanded his servant Moses to
give you all the land, and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land
from before you, therefore we were sore afraid of our lives because of
you, and have done this thing.
9:25 And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and
right unto thee to do unto us, do.
9:26 And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of
the children of Israel, that they slew them not.
9:27 And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water
for the congregation, and for the altar of the LORD, even unto this
day, in the place which he should choose.
10:1 Now it came to pass, when Adonizedec king of Jerusalem h
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