The Israelites killed every one of the enemy in the barren country where they had chased them. Then they went back to Ai and killed everyone there.

Joshua burned Ai and left it in ruins. It is still like that today.

He hanged the king of Ai from a tree and left his body there until evening. At sundown Joshua gave orders for the body to be removed, and it was thrown down at the entrance to the city gate. They covered it with a huge pile of stones, which is still there today.

With their swords they killed everyone in the city, men and women, young and old. They also killed the cattle, sheep, and donkeys.

Adonizedek, the king of Jerusalem, heard that Joshua had captured and totally destroyed Ai and had killed its king, just as he had done to Jericho and its king. He also heard that the people of Gibeon had made peace with the Israelites and were living among them.

Joshua attacked and captured Makkedah and its king that day. He put everyone in the city to death; no one was left alive. He did to the king of Makkedah what he had done to the king of Jericho.

But the LORD said to me, 'Don't be afraid of him. I am going to give him, his men, and all his territory to you. Do the same thing to him that you did to Sihon the Amorite king who ruled in Heshbon.'

The Israelites kept for themselves the livestock and goods captured in the city, as the LORD had told Joshua.

You may, however, take for yourselves the women, the children, the livestock, and everything else in the city. You may use everything that belongs to your enemies. The LORD has given it to you.

The wicked may have too much silver to count and more clothes than anyone needs;

but some good person will wear the clothes, and someone honest will get the silver.

no more than a shadow. All we do is for nothing; we gather wealth, but don't know who will get it.

Good people will have wealth to leave to their grandchildren, but the wealth of sinners will go to the righteous.

Honest people will lead a full, happy life. But if you are in a hurry to get rich, you are going to be punished.

The person who gets money dishonestly is like a bird that hatches eggs it didn't lay. In the prime of life he will lose his riches, and in the end he is nothing but a fool.

But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night you will have to give up your life; then who will get all these things you have kept for yourself ? ' "

And Jesus concluded, "This is how it is with those who pile up riches for themselves but are not rich in God's sight."

Then you will come out of hiding and capture the city. The LORD your God will give it to you.

So Joshua sent them out, and they went to their hiding place and waited there, west of Ai, between Ai and Bethel. Joshua spent the night in camp.

He took about five thousand men and put them in hiding west of the city, between Ai and Bethel.

When the king of Ai saw Joshua's men, he acted quickly. He and all his men went out toward the Jordan Valley to fight the Israelites at the same place as before, not knowing that he was about to be attacked from the rear.

and as soon as he lifted his hand, the men who had been hiding got up quickly, ran into the city and captured it. They immediately set the city on fire.

So the Israelites put some soldiers in hiding around Gibeah.

The Benjaminites came out to fight and were led away from the city. As they had before, they began killing some Israelites in the open country, on the road to Bethel and on the road to Gibeah. They killed about thirty Israelites.

So when the main army of the Israelites pulled back and regrouped at Baaltamar, the men surrounding Gibeah suddenly rushed out of their hiding places in the rocky country around the city.

Meanwhile Jeroboam had sent some of his troops to ambush the Judean army from the rear, while the rest faced them from the front.

When they began to sing, the LORD threw the invading armies into a panic.

Give the signal to attack Babylon's walls. Strengthen the guard! Post the sentries! Place troops in ambush!" The LORD has done what he said he would do to the people of Babylonia.