had commanded the people, saying, Ye shall not shout, nor make any noise with your voice, neither shall any word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you shout; then shall ye shout. So the ark of Jehovah compassed the city, going about it once and they came into the camp, and lodged in the camp. 30 6.12. And Joshua rose early in the morning, and the priests took up the ark of Jehovah. And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of Jehovah went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of Jehovah, the 35 priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets. And the second day they compassed the city once, and returned into the camp so they did six days. And it came to pass on the seventh day, that they rose early about the dawning of the day, and compassed the city after the same manner seven times: only on that 40 day they compassed the city seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, when the priests blew with the trumpets, Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for Jehovah hath given you the city. And the city shall be accursed, even it, and all that are therein, to Jehovah : only Rahab the harlot shall live, 45 she and all that are with her in the house, because she hid the

messengers that we sent. And ye, in any wise keep yourselves from the accursed thing, lest ye make yourselves accursed, when ye take of the accursed thing, and make the camp of Israel a curse, and trouble it. But all the silver, and gold, and vessels 50 of brass and iron, are consecrated unto Jehovah : they shall come into the treasury of Jehovah. So the people shouted when the priests blew with the trumpets: and it came to pass, when the people heard the sound of the trumpet, and the people shouted with a great shout, that the wall fell down flat, so that 55 the people went up into the city, every man straight before him, and they took the city. And they utterly destroyed all that was in the city, both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and sheep, and ass, with the edge of the sword. But Joshua had said unto the two men that had spied out the country, Go 60 into the harlot's house, and bring out thence the woman, and all that she hath, as ye sware unto her. And the young men that were spies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that she had; and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of 65

behold, it was hid in his tent, and the silver under it. And 145 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 Jehovah. 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, 150 and his asses, and his sheep, and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto the valley of Achor. And Joshua said, Why hast thou troubled us? Jehovah shall trouble thee this day. And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. And 155 they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day. So Jehovah turned from the fierceness of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called, The valley of 2 Achor, unto this day.

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LESSON XXIX

AI AND GIBEON

JOSHUA 8.1 to 9.27

8.1. And Jehovah 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: 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. 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 10 sent them away by night. 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: 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 15 we will flee before them, (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. Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon 2 Achor means "Troubling.”

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the city for Jehovah your God will deliver it into your hand. And it shall be, when ye have taken the city, that ye shall set 20 the city on fire: according to the commandment of Jehovah shall ye do. See, I have commanded you. 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.

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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. 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 30 was a valley between them and Ai. 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. 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 35 night into the midst of the valley. 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, to the place appointed, before the 1 Arábah; but he wist not that there were liers in ambush against him behind the 40 city. And Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wilderness. 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. And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth-el, 45 that went not out after Israel: and they left the city open, and pursued after Israel. And Jehovah 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. And the ambush arose quickly 50 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. 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 55 way or that way: and the people that fled to the wilderness turned back upon the pursuers. And when Joshua and all

1 For the Arábah see note on page 105.

Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city, and that the smoke of the city ascended, then they turned again, and slew 60 the men of Ai. 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. And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Joshua. And it came to pass, when 65 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. And so it was, that all that fell 70 that day, both of men and women, were twelve thousand, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua drew not his hand back, wherewith he stretched out the spear, until he had utterly destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. Only the cattle and the spoil of that city Israel took for a prey unto themselves, according unto the 75 word of Jehovah which he commanded Joshua. And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an 2 heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day. 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 80 the entering of the gate of the city, and raise thereon a great heap of stones, that remaineth unto this day.

9.3. And when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they did work wilily, and went and gat them provisions, and took old sacks upon their 85 asses, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and bound up; and old shoes and clouted upon their feet, and old garments upon them; and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy. 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: 90 now therefore make ye a league with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy servants. And Joshua said unto them, Who are ye? and from whence come ye? And they 2 The Hebrew word here translated "heap" is Tel; and the modern name of the site is El-Tel. Some scholars say that the name Ai means "ruins."

said unto him, From a very far country thy servants are come 95 because of the name of Jehovah thy God: for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were beyond Jordan, to Shion king of Heshbon, and to Og king of Bashan, which was at Ashtaroth. Wherefore our elders and all the inhabitants of 100 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. 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, 105 and it is mouldy: 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. And the men took of their victuals, and asked not counsel at the mouth of Jehovah. And Joshua made peace with them, and 110 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. 115 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? Now therefore ye are cursed, and there shall never fail to be of you bondmen, and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my 120 God. And they answered Joshua, and said, Because it was certainly told thy servants, how that Jehovah 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 125 this thing. And now, behold, we are in thine hand: as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them, and delivered them out of the hand of the children of Israel, that they slew them not. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the 130 congregation, and for the altar of Jehovah, even unto this day, in the place which he should choose.

JUNIOR

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