Joshua 8:2
New International Version
You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

New Living Translation
You will destroy them as you destroyed Jericho and its king. But this time you may keep the plunder and the livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the town.”

English Standard Version
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush against the city, behind it.”

Berean Standard Bible
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king. Only its spoil and its cattle you shall take as booty for yourselves. Lay an ambush for the city behind it.”

New American Standard Bible
You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoils and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

NASB 1995
“You shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

NASB 1977
“And you shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So you shall do to Ai and its king just as you did to Jericho and its king; you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

Amplified Bible
You shall do [the same] to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king; [except that] you shall take only its spoil and its cattle as plunder for yourselves. Set up an ambush for the city behind it [on the west side].”

Christian Standard Bible
Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king, except that you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Treat Ai and its king as you did Jericho and its king; you may plunder its spoil and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city.”

American Standard Version
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: set thee an ambush for the city behind it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And do to Ai and its King as you have done to Yerikho and its King, only the loot and the cattle plunder for yourselves, and ambush for yourselves an ambush from behind the city

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou shalt do to Gai, as thou didst to Jericho and its king; and thou shalt take to thyself the spoil of its cattle; set now for thyself an ambush for the city behind.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And thou shalt do to the city of Hai, and to the king thereof, as thou hast done to Jericho, and to the king thereof: but the spoils and all the cattle you shall take for a prey to yourselves: lay an ambush for the city behind it.

English Revised Version
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: set thee an ambush for the city behind it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You will do the same thing to Ai and its king that you did to Jericho and its king. However, you may take its loot and livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush behind the city."

Good News Translation
You are to do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, but this time you may keep its goods and livestock for yourselves. Prepare to attack the city by surprise from the rear."

International Standard Version
Do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, but take its spoil and its livestock as war booty for yourselves. Set an ambush around the city."

JPS Tanakh 1917
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; set thee an ambush for the city behind it.'

Literal Standard Version
and you have done to Ai and to her king as you have done to Jericho and to her king; only spoil its spoil and its livestock for yourselves; for you set an ambush for the city at its rear.”

Majority Standard Bible
And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”

New American Bible
Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king—except that you may take its spoil and livestock as plunder. Set an ambush behind the city.

NET Bible
Do to Ai and its king what you did to Jericho and its king, except you may plunder its goods and cattle. Set an ambush behind the city!"

New Revised Standard Version
You shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king; only its spoil and its livestock you may take as booty for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city, behind it.”

New Heart English Bible
You shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king, except its spoil and its livestock, you shall take for a plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it."

Webster's Bible Translation
And thou shalt do to Ai and her king, as thou didst to Jericho and her king: only its spoil, and its cattle, shall ye take for a prey to yourselves: lay thee an ambush for the city behind it.

World English Bible
You shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king, except you shall take its goods and its livestock for yourselves. Set an ambush for the city behind it.”

Young's Literal Translation
and thou hast done to Ai and to her king as thou hast done to Jericho and to her king; only, its spoil and its cattle ye spoil for yourselves; set for thee an ambush for the city at its rear.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Conquest of Ai
1Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land. 2And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.” 3So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night…

Cross References
Deuteronomy 20:14
But the women, children, livestock, and whatever else is in the city--all its spoil--you may take as plunder, and you shall use the spoil of your enemies that the LORD your God gives you.

Joshua 8:3
So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night

Joshua 8:8
And when you have taken the city, set it on fire. Do as the LORD has commanded! See, I have given you orders."

Joshua 8:27
Israel took for themselves only the cattle and plunder of that city, as the LORD had commanded Joshua.


Treasury of Scripture

And you shall do to Ai and her king as you did to Jericho and her king: only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall you take for a prey to yourselves: lay you an ambush for the city behind it.

do to Ai

Joshua 8:24,28,29
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…

Joshua 6:21
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.

Joshua 10:1,28
Now it came to pass, when Adonizedek king of Jerusalem had heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and had utterly destroyed it; as he had done to Jericho and her king, so he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel, and were among them; …

only the spoil

Joshua 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.

Deuteronomy 20:14
But the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself; and thou shalt eat the spoil of thine enemies, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.

Job 27:16,17
Though he heap up silver as the dust, and prepare raiment as the clay; …

lay thee

Joshua 8:7,9,12,14,19
Then ye shall rise up from the ambush, and seize upon the city: for the LORD your God will deliver it into your hand…

Judges 20:29-33
And Israel set liers in wait round about Gibeah…

2 Chronicles 13:13
But Jeroboam caused an ambushment to come about behind them: so they were before Judah, and the ambushment was behind them.

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Ai Ambush Attack Booty Carry Cattle City Except Jericho Livestock Plunder Prey Secret Spoil Stationed Surprise Thereof Yourselves
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Ai Ambush Attack Booty Carry Cattle City Except Jericho Livestock Plunder Prey Secret Spoil Stationed Surprise Thereof Yourselves
Joshua 8
1. God encourages Joshua
3. The plan whereby Ai was taken
29. The king thereof is hanged
30. Joshua builds an altar
32. writes the law on stones
33. and pronounces the blessings and curses














(2) Only the spoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, shall ye take--i.e., the material spoil, not the persons of the inhabitants. (See Joshua 11:14.) Jericho was treated exceptionally, in that the material spoil was made cherem, devoted to destruction, as the thing accursed of God.

Verse 2. - Only the spoil thereof. Ai was not solemnly devoted, like Jericho, though (see Deuteronomy 20:16, 17) the Canaanitish people were. Behind it. Joshua was advancing from the southeast. The ambush (אֹרֵב literally, "a lier in wait," here a band of liers in wait, the word itself originally signifying to plait, weave, hence to design) was therefore (ver. 12) on the opposite, or west side of the city. The question which has been raised whether God could rightly command a stratagem seems scarcely to require discussion.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And you shall do
וְעָשִׂ֨יתָ (wə·‘ā·śî·ṯā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

to Ai
לָעַ֜י (lā·‘ay)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 5857: Ai -- a Canaanite city

and its king
וּלְמַלְכָּ֗הּ (ū·lə·mal·kāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

as
כַּאֲשֶׁ֨ר (ka·’ă·šer)
Preposition-k | Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

you did
עָשִׂ֤יתָ (‘ā·śî·ṯā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - second person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

to Jericho
לִֽירִיחוֹ֙ (lî·rî·ḥōw)
Preposition-l | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3405: Jericho -- a city in the Jordan Valley captured by Joshua

and its king,
וּלְמַלְכָּ֔הּ (ū·lə·mal·kāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

except that
רַק־ (raq-)
Adverb
Strong's 7535: But, even, except, howbeit howsoever, at the least, nevertheless

you may carry off
תָּבֹ֣זּוּ (tā·ḇōz·zū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 962: To spoil, plunder

their plunder
שְׁלָלָ֥הּ (šə·lā·lāh)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7998: A prey, spoil, plunder, booty

and livestock
וּבְהֶמְתָּ֖הּ (ū·ḇə·hem·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular
Strong's 929: A dumb beast, any large quadruped, animal

for yourselves.
לָכֶ֑ם (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

Set
שִׂים־ (śîm-)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

an ambush
אֹרֵ֛ב (’ō·rêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 693: To lie in wait

behind
מֵאַחֲרֶֽיהָ׃ (mê·’a·ḥă·re·hā)
Preposition-m | third person feminine singular
Strong's 310: The hind or following part

the city.”
לָעִ֖יר (lā·‘îr)
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 5892: Excitement


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OT History: Joshua 8:2 You shall do to Ai and her (Josh. Jos)
Joshua 8:1
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