²² Then the others came out from the city against them, so the men of Ai^[a] were surrounded by the Israelis, some on one side and some on the other. Israel attacked them until no one was left to survive or escape. ²³ But the king of Ai was taken alive and brought to Joshua.

²⁴ When Israel had completed executing all of the residents of Ai in the open wilderness where they had chased them, and after all of them—to the very last of them—had been killed by swords, the entire fighting force of^[b] Israel returned to Ai and attacked it with swords.