⁴ He commanded them, saying, “See, you are ^(A)going to ambush the city from behind ^[a]it. Do not go very far from the city, but all of you be ready. ⁵ Then I and all the people who are with me will approach the city. And when they come out to meet us as they did the first time, ^(B)we will flee before them. ⁶ They will come out after us until we have lured them away from the city, for they will say, ‘They are fleeing before us just as they did the first time.’ So we will flee before them. ⁷ Then you shall rise from your ambush and take possession of the city, for the Lord your God will hand it over to you. ⁸ Then it will be when you have seized the city, that you shall set the city on fire. You shall do it ^(C)in accordance with the word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you.” ⁹ So Joshua sent them away, and they went to the place of ambush and remained between Bethel and Ai, on the west side of Ai; but Joshua spent that night among the people.

¹⁰ Now Joshua ^(D)got up early in the morning and mustered the people, and he went up with the elders of Israel before the people to Ai. ¹¹ Then all the people of war who were with him went up and approached, and arrived in front of the city; and they camped on the north side of Ai. And there was a valley between him and Ai. ¹² Then he took about five thousand men and set them in ambush between ^(E)Bethel and Ai, on the west side of the ^[b]city.