Joshua 8:26-30
8:26 Joshua kept holding out his curved sword until Israel had annihilated all who lived in Ai. 1
8:27 But Israel did plunder the cattle and the goods of the city, in accordance with the Lord’s orders to Joshua. 2
8:28 Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanently uninhabited mound (it remains that way to this very day). 3
8:29 He hung the king of Ai on a tree, leaving him exposed until evening. 4 At sunset Joshua ordered that his corpse be taken down from the tree. 5 They threw it down at the entrance of the city gate and erected over it a large pile of stones (it remains to this very day). 6
Covenant Renewal
8:30 Then Joshua built an altar for the Lord God of Israel on Mount Ebal,
1 tn Heb “Joshua did not draw back his hand which held out the curved sword until he had annihilated all the residents of Ai.”
2 tn Heb “according to the word of the Lord which he commanded Joshua.”
3 tn Heb “and made it a permanent mound, a desolation, to this day.”
4 tn Heb “on a tree until evening.” The words “leaving him exposed” are supplied in the translation for clarity.
5 sn For the legal background of this action, see Deut 21:22-23.
6 tn Heb “to this day.”