06:007:002 And Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai,
which is beside
Bethaven,
on the east of Bethel, and spake unto them, saying,
Go
up and view the country. And the men went up and
viewed Ai.
06:007:003 And they returned to Joshua, and said unto
him, Let not all
the
people go up; but let about two or three thousand men
go
up
and smite Ai; and make not all the people to labour
thither;
for they are but few.
06:007:004 So there went up thither of the people
about three thousand
men:
and they fled before the men of Ai.
06:007:005 And the men of Ai smote of them about thirty
and six men: for
they
chased them from before the gate even unto Shebarim,
and
smote
them in the going down: wherefore the hearts of
the
people
melted, and became as water.
06:007:006 And Joshua rent his clothes, and fell to
the earth upon his
face
before the ark of the lord until the eventide,
he and the
elders
of Israel, and put dust upon their heads.
06:007:007 And Joshua said, Alas, O lord God,
wherefore hast thou at all
brought
this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand
of
the Amorites, to destroy us? would to God we had been
content,
and dwelt on the other side Jordan!
06:007:008 O lord, what shall I say, when Israel
turneth their backs
before
their enemies!
06:007:009 For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants
of the land shall
hear
of it, and shall environ us round, and cut off our
name
from
the earth: and what wilt thou do unto thy great
name?
06:007:010 And the lord said unto Joshua, Get
thee up; wherefore liest
thou
thus upon thy face?
06:007:011 Israel hath sinned, and they have also
transgressed my
covenant
which I commanded them: for they have even taken
of
the
accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled
also,
and
they have put it even among their own stuff.
06:007:012 Therefore the children of Israel could
not stand before their
enemies,
but turned their backs before their enemies, because
they
were accursed: neither will I be with you any
more,
except
ye destroy the accursed from among you.
06:007:013 Up, sanctify the people, and say, Sanctify
yourselves against
to
morrow: for thus saith the lord God of Israel,
There is an
accursed
thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst
not
stand
before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed
thing
from among you.


