²⁸ Where can we go? Our brothers have made us lose heart,^[a](A) saying: The people are larger and taller than we are; the cities are large, fortified to the heavens.^(B) We also saw the descendants of the Anakim^(C) there.’

⁸ The officers will continue to address the army and say, ‘Is there any man who is afraid or cowardly? Let him leave and return home, so that his brothers won’t lose heart as he did.’^[a](A)

Circumcision of the Israelites

5 When all the Amorite kings across the Jordan to the west and all the Canaanite kings near the sea^(A) heard how the Lord had dried up the water of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over,^(B) they lost heart and their courage failed because of the Israelites.

⁵ The men of Ai struck down about thirty-six of them and chased them from outside the city gate to the quarries,^[a] striking them down on the descent. As a result, the people lost heart.^[b](A)

¹⁰ Then, even a brave man with the heart of a lion^(A) will lose heart^[a] because all Israel knows that your father and the valiant men with him are warriors.