¹⁴ When Abram heard that his relative^(A) had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained^(B) men born in his household^(C) and went in pursuit as far as Dan.^(D)

¹⁵ During the night Abram divided his men^(A) to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus.^(B)

⁷ In great fear^(A) and distress^(B) Jacob divided the people who were with him into two groups,^[a](C) and the flocks and herds and camels as well.

⁸ He thought, “If Esau comes and attacks one group,^[a] the group^[b] that is left may escape.”

³ So Joshua and the whole army moved out to attack Ai. He chose thirty thousand of his best fighting men and sent them out at night ⁴ with these orders: “Listen carefully. You are to set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from it. All of you be on the alert. ⁵ I and all those with me will advance on the city, and when the men come out against us, as they did before, we will flee from them. ⁶ They will pursue us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are running away from us as they did before.’ So when we flee from them, ⁷ you are to rise up from ambush and take the city. The Lord your God will give it into your hand.^{(A) 8} When you have taken the city, set it on fire.^(B) Do what the Lord has commanded.^(C) See to it; you have my orders.”

⁹ Then Joshua sent them off, and they went to the place of ambush^(D) and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai—but Joshua spent that night with the people.

¹⁰ Early the next morning^(E) Joshua mustered his army, and he and the leaders of Israel^(F) marched before them to Ai. ¹¹ The entire force that was with him marched up and approached the city and arrived in front of it. They set up camp north of Ai, with the valley between them and the city. ¹² Joshua had taken about five thousand men and set them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, to the west of the city. ¹³ So the soldiers took up their positions—with the main camp to the north of the city and the ambush to the west of it. That night Joshua went into the valley.

¹⁴ When the king of Ai saw this, he and all the men of the city hurried out early in the morning to meet Israel in battle at a certain place overlooking the Arabah.^(G) But he did not know^(H) that an ambush had been set against him behind the city. ¹⁵ Joshua and all Israel let themselves be driven back^(I) before them, and they fled toward the wilderness.^{(J) 16} All the men of Ai were called to pursue them, and they pursued Joshua and were lured away^(K) from the city. ¹⁷ Not a man remained in Ai or Bethel who did not go after Israel. They left the city open and went in pursuit of Israel.

¹⁸ Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Hold out toward Ai the javelin^(L) that is in your hand,^(M) for into your hand I will deliver the city.” So Joshua held out toward the city the javelin that was in his hand.^{(N) 19} As soon as he did this, the men in the ambush rose quickly^(O) from their position and rushed forward. They entered the city and captured it and quickly set it on fire.^(P)

²⁰ The men of Ai looked back and saw the smoke of the city rising up into the sky,^(Q) but they had no chance to escape in any direction; the Israelites who had been fleeing toward the wilderness had turned back against their pursuers. ²¹ For when Joshua and all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city and that smoke was going up from it, they turned around^(R) and attacked the men of Ai. ²² Those in the ambush also came out of the city against them, so that they were caught in the middle, with Israelites on both sides. Israel cut them down, leaving them neither survivors nor fugitives.^{(S) 23} But they took the king of Ai alive^(T) and brought him to Joshua.

²⁴ When Israel had finished killing all the men of Ai in the fields and in the wilderness where they had chased them, and when every one of them had been put to the sword, all the Israelites returned to Ai and killed those who were in it. ²⁵ Twelve thousand men and women fell that day—all the people of Ai.^(U)

¹⁶ Dividing the three hundred men^(A) into three companies,^(B) he placed trumpets^(C) and empty jars^(D) in the hands of all of them, with torches^(E) inside.

¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets,^(F) then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

¹⁹ Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars^(G) that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches^(H) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword^(I) for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.^(J)

²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded,^(K) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other^(L) with their swords.^(M) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah^(N) near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher^(O) and all Manasseh were called out,^(P) and they pursued the Midianites.^(Q)

¹⁶ Dividing the three hundred men^(A) into three companies,^(B) he placed trumpets^(C) and empty jars^(D) in the hands of all of them, with torches^(E) inside.

¹⁷ “Watch me,” he told them. “Follow my lead. When I get to the edge of the camp, do exactly as I do. ¹⁸ When I and all who are with me blow our trumpets,^(F) then from all around the camp blow yours and shout, ‘For the Lord and for Gideon.’”

¹⁹ Gideon and the hundred men with him reached the edge of the camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars^(G) that were in their hands. ²⁰ The three companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches^(H) in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, “A sword^(I) for the Lord and for Gideon!” ²¹ While each man held his position around the camp, all the Midianites ran, crying out as they fled.^(J)

²² When the three hundred trumpets sounded,^(K) the Lord caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other^(L) with their swords.^(M) The army fled to Beth Shittah toward Zererah as far as the border of Abel Meholah^(N) near Tabbath. ²³ Israelites from Naphtali, Asher^(O) and all Manasseh were called out,^(P) and they pursued the Midianites.^(Q)