The Conquest of Ai and the Covenant on Mount Ebal

Select Reading Config

After Achan's sin was dealt with, God encouraged Joshua not to be afraid and to attack Ai again. This time Joshua led the whole army and used a clever ambush plan. He had some soldiers hide behind the city while he led the main army to attack from the front, pretending to run away to make the defenders of Ai chase after them. When all the soldiers from Ai came out of the city, the ambush soldiers quickly rushed in and set the empty city on fire. The Ai army was trapped between two groups and was completely destroyed. The Israelites captured Ai and won a great victory. After that, Joshua led the Israelites to Mount Ebal, where they built an altar and offered sacrifices to the Lord. He wrote the Law of Moses on stone tablets and read all the words of the Law out loud to all the Israelites, including the blessings and the curses; not one word was left out. Men, women, children, and even foreigners who lived among them all listened together.