The Burning Bush Vol. 2: A Simplified and Easy-To-Read Summarization of Scripture

By Lynn Waddell M.A.B.C M Th

Every verse—Joshua through Esther—has been summarized and communicated in story fashion to help accelerate the reading of God’s Word.
This book is for God’s people whom He has called to read His Word that have not fulfilled their calling. In order for God to further show us who He is and what He desires from us in this pilgrimage called life, we must be reading His word.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 28, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973680109

Lynn Waddell M.A.B.C M Th

Lynn’s unquenchable passion is the Word of God and seeing it transform lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lynn has spent the majority of her adult life studying the Bible and applying it in the counseling ministry God has called her to. She has earned a Master of Theology degree from Christian Life School of Theology, Columbus, GA. She has earned a Master of Arts in Biblical Counseling from Luther Rice Seminary and University, Lithonia, GA. She is a recognized speaker and teacher. Lynn lives in Atlanta, Ga with her husband Greg. They have been married for thirty-eight years. They have two grown children and three grandchildren. She enjoys family, golf, bowling, walking, and playing guitar.

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CONTENTS

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Here We Go. Are You Ready?

JOSHUA

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

JUDGES

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

RUTH

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

1 SAMUEL

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

2 SAMUEL

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

1 KINGS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

2 KINGS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

1 CHRONICLES

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

2 CHRONICLES

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

EZRA

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

NEHEMIAH

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

ESTHER

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Acknowledgments

To my Father in heaven: I lay this offering at your feet and give back to you what I believe You have given to me. My heart, soul and life have been poured into this calling you have placed on me and into the pages in this book. It is Yours. Take it and make it what Your will is for it to be.

To my husband, Greg: I know that I will never be deserving of the gift God gave me in you. Thank you for your understanding and tolerance of what this work has demanded of me, at your expense. Thank you for your ideas to help make this book everything it should be. All of me loves all of you.

To my proof-reader, Michelle: I have spoken it to you but want it written here, how much I appreciate your eyes set on this work. I have been amazed and thankful for the work you have done. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your commitment to the project and your friendship to me. I love you dear sister.

Introduction

The first purpose of this book is to fulfill the will of God; to fulfill His call to me. I believe He placed it in my heart and in my mind to write this book. I started this project back in 2007, using my Sunday School class and a home Bible study as my practice subjects. I believe He has given me everything I need to complete this task, because it belongs to Him and not to me.

The second purpose for the book is for God’s people in whose hearts He has placed a burning desire to read His Word, that have not fulfilled that desire. This book is for the ones who have trouble reading. For those who do not read well, reading the Bible is an overwhelming task for which they feel unready and unfit. Or it may be that you despise reading and cannot even open the Bible to embark on a reading journey, though you desire to with a fervent heart.

This is how I look at it:

I love the story of Moses and the burning bush in Exodus 3:1–4. It was not until Moses turned to look at the phenomenon, that the bush was not consumed by the fire, that God spoke to him. I believe that, like Moses, until we turn to look at the phenomenon called God’s Word, He will not begin to speak to us. I believe that for God to further show us who He is and what He desires from us in this pilgrimage called life, we must be reading His Word. I do not read the Word out of duty, though that is part of the Christian walk. I read the Word because that’s part of my relationship with my heavenly Father.

There are others who have the same passion for reading the Word:

David Kasali, Christian Bilingual University of Congo (UCBC) Our motto is ‘being transformed to transform.’. I don’t want to read the Bible just to increase my knowledge. I read it because it is transformative, and I want it to change me. It should change the way we live, act, and work and hence make us agents of transformation in our communities and nation (Rewriting Our Stories, by Jessi Strong, Bible Study Magazine, Jan/Feb 2015).

Dr. Mel Lawrenz, (referring to Christian thinkers and reading the Bible) …Knowing the Bible is not the ultimate objective. Knowing God is. Really knowing God. And knowing God via the revelation God has given of himself, not our imaginary constructs. This is exciting! When we commit ourselves to knowing the Scriptures, we are truly embarking on a life-transforming experience. And the real beginning is when we say, I believe…." (Biblegateway.com, from Dr. Lawrenz’s book, How to Understand the Bible).

God’s request of His children is this, "My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them, and health to all their whole body" Prov. 4:20–22.

I am so excited about this study. I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed creating this project!

Because of Him,

Lynn Waddell, MABC, ThM

The New American Standard Bible (NASB) was used for Scripture quotations. The summarization is compiled from the NASB unless otherwise noted. I have tried to quote verses that are pertinent to the stories, and help clarify the content. I have not made an attempt to perform any exegesis for any passage at anytime. There are not any liberties taken with the Scriptures.

I have done my best to accurately summarize each Chapter and verse. If I missed something–like all those feasts or regulations–it was not intentional. The foundation of heaven is not shaken by it. Do not let it shake you.

This book may not be grammatically perfect. It is done in my personality and my own language. For those who are grammatically perfect–teachers and the sort–please forgive me. I have worked to be excellent.

There are essential things that we must totally believe in order to study, follow, and believe the Bible:

1. ..all flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades… but the Word of our God stands forever. Isaiah 40:6b, 7a–8

2. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness 2 Tim. 3:16.

Each book of the Bible has a certain story, key verse, etc. For that education, I recommend a book by Dr. David Jeremiah called Understanding the 66 Books of the Bible.

There are other bible summaries available. I have not found one that is a verse-by-verse story line of Scripture as this one is. And that is o.k. This is my call to publish and not to be compared to others. The fact that there are so many out there is confirmation of God’s call to read His Word.

Most summaries offer only an outline, or a list of who, what, where and when. There is one summarization out there—that I have reviewed— that states that the stories of the Bible may actually be based upon mythical tales. But, the author says, Our awareness that the biblical stories may be based in part on older mythological tales by no means invalidates the witness of Scripture in GENESIS 1-11

(http://ljohns.ambs.edu/BibleStory.htm). Make sure that the authors, whose summarizations you read, are Christian believers and be sure their work is true to the Scriptures.

Dr. David Jeremiah, noted prophecy expert, and pastor of Shadow Mountain Church in El Cajon, California, uses summarization, or dramatization, of Scripture in his books and in his preaching. His website describes it like this, A half-dramatization, half-Bible teaching (www.davidjeremiah.org/site/agentsofbabylon/presale). He has used this format in at least two of his books.

Referring to his book, Dr. Jeremiah said, …This book begins each Chapter with a narrative, with a drama if you will, which illustrates in a narrative format all of the truth that’s in the Chapter. And then we follow that up in the end of the Chapter with the Scripture behind the story. It’s a beautiful way to learn the truth of the book of Daniel. The drama captures your heart, captures you imagination; and then the truth captures your mind. And when your heart and your mind are wrapped around the truth of the Word of God, transformation always happens (excerpt from: David Jeremiah’s radio broadcast 10/2/2015, Agents of Babylon).

Here We Go. Are You Ready?

Information About The Bible

It is the greatest book every written

In it, God speaks to man

It is a book of divine instruction

It is not simply one book, it includes:

History, poetry, drama, biography, prophecy, philosophy, science, and inspirational reading.

• The Bible has been translated into over 1200 languages

• There are more copies sold every year than any other book

• The Bible contains 1,189 Chapters in OT and NT (at least in the version I’m using)

• In just a little over three years, a person could intensively study the whole Bible, one Chapter per day

In May 2012, and annually since then, a church in Birmingham, AL read the Bible completely through in just 90 hours. This was accomplished with one person reading every fifteen minutes.

The Bible can be studied by:

Chapter, paragraph, verse, book, word topic, biography, and probably some ways I did not mention.

The Bible canon is a list of books considered to be authoritative scripture by a particular religious community. There are many writings that are not in the Bible. The criterion used is the testimony of God the Holy Spirit to the authority of His own Word. The Old Testament (OT) Division has two possibilities. The English versions follow the Greek pattern:

• Law—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy (Vol. 1)

• History—Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1 & 2 Kings, 1 & 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (This book, which is Vol. 2)

• Wisdom/Poetry—Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon

• Prophets

Major— Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Minor— Hosea, Amos, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

The Hebrew arrangement has 3 sections:

• Law, Prophets and Writings

The basic message of the canonical books of the OT demonstrates God’s dealings with man. God revealed some particular aspect of His will and man responded and entered a personal relationship with Him.

Text and Translations:

Written by many men over a period covering 1500 years. The last writer has been dead over 1900 years (spoken in 1979).

The Old Testament provides a record of God’s dealings with man and the Old Testament serves as a necessary foundation for the New Testament.

The Old Testament is written in Hebrew except for the last ten Aramaic Chapters of Jer. 10:11; Dan. 2:46–7:28; Ezra 4:8–6:18; 7:12–26; and two words in Gen. 31:47.

There came a time in the third century before Christ, when God’s people had difficulty reading the original languages, and translation became necessary.

• First translation was Greek—the Septuagint (LXX)

• In early Christian times, dominant language of the West was Latin.

• In the fourth century, Jerome made a Latin translation known as the Vulgate.

Authors:

The Bible is the combined work of numerous men serving as authors, collectors, and editors These men were operating under inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Some books—especially books of prophets—bear names of authors (Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah).

King David is credited with writing many of Psalms. King Solomon is credited with writing Song of Solomon and Proverbs. Hezekiah, King of Judah, transcribed some of the Proverbs. Some unknown authors also helped. Many books do not name the author. In these cases, traditions—Jewish and Christian—are examined as well as the internal evidence of the books themselves.

Well now, have you had enough Bible knowledge for one reading? I do not mean to bore you with details. I do not enjoy them myself. However, it is good to experience something different as it pertains to knowledge of the Word.

This book will cover the historical books of the Old Testament–listed abovd. See my first book, The Burning Bush Volume 1, for the books of the Law–listed above. Yes, that means there are future books to be written. I still need to write wisdom/poetry and the prophets.

JOSHUA

OUTLINE:

1

CHAPTER

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MOSES HAD DIED. JOSHUA was chosen to lead the people into Canaan, the Promised Land. The Lord spoke to Joshua and told him that everywhere they walked, He had given the land to them. The specific geographic territory is listed in this Chapter. God said Joshua must be strong and courageous. God said He would be with Joshua as He had been with Moses. God told Joshua He would not forsake him nor fail him. God told Joshua twice to be strong and courageous. God told Joshua to follow everything Moses had told him. He said to not turn to the right or to the left, in order that he may be successful wherever he went. God told Joshua to not let the Book of the Law depart from him. God said to Joshua, You shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success (Josh. 1:8). God told Joshua again to be strong and courageous, to not tremble or be dismayed because He was with him wherever he may go.

Joshua commanded the officers to have the people prepare to travel in three days. Joshua reminded the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh that they had a responsibility to their brothers to cross the Jordan and help settle the other tribes, even though they had been given permission to settle on the other side.

They agreed to do as expected. The men of Israel said that anyone who did not obey Joshua, as they obeyed Moses, would be put to death. They admonished Joshua to be strong and courageous.

2

CHAPTER

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JOSHUA SENT TWO MEN to spy out Jericho. They found lodging in the house of Rahab, a prostitute. The king was informed that spies from Israel were in the land and they were in the house of Rahab. The king ordered Rahab to reveal them to him. Rahab hid the men on the roof but informed the king that they had gone out and she knew not where. She told the king he should pursue them.

When those who sought them left, Rahab said to the spies, I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the LORD, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death (Josh. 2:9b–13).

The spies agreed to spare Rahab and her family if they followed specific instructions. They gave her a scarlet thread, as a sign, to be placed in the window of the home. Rahab let the men down through a window and told them to hide out for three days until their pursuers returned from seeking them.

They communicated everything that happened to Joshua when they returned to camp. They told Joshua what Rahab had told them, They said to Joshua, surely the LORD has given all the land into our hands; moreover, all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before us (Josh. 2:24).

3

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JOSHUA ROSE EARLY ON the next day. He and the army of Israel traveled and then set camp at the Jordan River. They remained in the place where they camped for three days. At the end of three days, the officers told the soldiers that when they saw the ark of the covenant begin to move out, they were to follow at a certain distance. They were told to get no closer to the ark than two hundred cubits (three hundred feet), in order to know which way to go because the path was unfamiliar. Joshua instructed the people to consecrate themselves and he told the priests to move ahead of them with the ark. Joshua’s instructions were obeyed.

God said He would exalt Joshua in the eyes of the people so that Joshua would know that He was with him. The Lord told Joshua to instruct the Levites carrying the ark to stand still in the Jordan River. Joshua called the people together and informed them that God would dispossess the peoples in the land before them. Joshua commanded that twelve men—one from each tribe—stand in the Jordan River, along with the priests carrying the ark, and the waters flowing down in the river would be stopped, that Israel could go through on dry ground.

4

CHAPTER

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JOSHUA INSTRUCTED ONE MAN from each tribe, whom he had appointed himself, to obtain one stone from the Jordan River—as God held the waters back and they crossed over on dry ground—and set it in the place that particular tribe would camp that same night. Joshua said the stones would give an opportunity to tell the story to the children of what God had done for Israel by drawing the waters back and letting Isreal cross the river on dry ground. The men obeyed Joshua’s instructions and placed the stones. Joshua also set up twelve stones in the river itself where Israel crossed over. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh were dressed in battle attire. There was a total of forty thousand men equipped for war who crossed over the Jordan River.

God exalted Joshua in the eyes of the people; just as He had done Moses. Joshua called the priests out of the water, and when they stepped out, the waters returned to their normal state. Joshua set the twelve stones at Gilgal and reminded the people of the reason they were set up, That all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, so that you may fear the LORD your God forever (Josh. 4.24b).

5

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THE KINGS OF THE Amorites and Canaanites were very afraid of Israel after they heard about what happened at the Jordan River. Scripture says, Their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any longer because of the sons of Israel (Josh. 5:1b). God ordered Joshua to create flint knives and circumcise the sons of Israel a second time. It was this generation’s first time to be circumsised. All the men who had been circumcised the first time had died on the journey from Egypt to Jericho.

The sons of Israel had been in the wilderness forty years—for their rebellion against God—the next generation was entering the Promised Land. Their camp remained in Gilgal until they all healed from the circumcision. The Lord spoke to Joshua and said, Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you (Josh. 5:9b).

While they were at Gilgal the people observed Passover. On the day after Passover they ate of the fruit of the land. On the day after they ate of the fruit of the land the miracle of manna ceased.

While Joshua was standing near Jericho, he saw a man standing near him with his sword drawn. Joshua asked the man if he was for Israel or for Israel’s enemies. The man responded to Joshua and said, No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD (Josh. 5:14). Joshua fell on his face and said to him, What has my lord to say to his servant (Josh. 5:14b)? The man told Joshua to remove his sandals because the place where he was standing was holy. Joshua did as the man commanded.

6

CHAPTER

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THE CITY OF JERICHO was shut tightly; no one came in and no one went out. This happened because they were afraid of Israel. The Lord told Joshua that He had given Jericho into his hand, and He gave him battle strategy to take it for Israel. God’s battle orders were to have the people march around the city once per day for six days, with the priests carrying trumpets. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times. At the end of the seventh time around, the priests were to blow their trumpets, the people were to give a loud shout, and God said the wall would fall flat. Joshua delivered God’s instructions to the people.

The order of the march was this:

• The priests carried the ark of the covenant with seven priests carrying seven trumpets of rams’ horns ahead of them

• The armed men went ahead of the priests blowing trumpets

• There was a rear guard behind the ark

Joshua informed the people to be completely quiet, and said to them, You shall not shout nor let your voice be heard nor let a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I tell you (Josh. 6:10b). They rose early the next day and circled Jericho once, then returned back to camp for the night. They continued this process for six days. On the seventh day, they were up at the dawning of the day and marched around the city seven times. On the seventh time around the wall, Joshua gave orders to shout and told the people that God had given them the city. Joshua said the city was under the Lord’s ban; the city and everything in it belonged to the Lord and no man could take anything from it. Joshua said only Rahab and all who were with her in her house should live, because she helped the spies Israel had sent there. Joshua admonished the people to not touch nor take any of the silver, gold, bronze, or iron, because that would cause God to bring a curse upon the nations of Israel. The articles should go into the treasure of the Lord.

When the wall fell, the Israelites went into the city and conquered it. Men, women, and animals were destroyed by Israel. Joshua gave orders to the two men who had spied out the land to go to Rahab’s house and bring her family out safely. They burned the city with fire. Rahab and her family lived in the camp of Israel.

Joshua made the people take an oath and said to them, Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and builds this city Jericho; with the loss of his first born he shall lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he shall set up its gates (Josh. 6:26b). God was with Joshua and he was famous in all the land.

7

CHAPTER

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ACHAN, FROM THE TRIBE of Judah, took some of the articles from Jericho that were forbidden under the Lord’s ban and God was very angry with Israel.

Joshua sent men to Ai to spy out the land. They informed Joshua that they only needed two or three thousand men to take Ai. Three thousand men went up to Ai but ran away from them and were beaten in the battle. Thirty-six men were killed. Israel was down-hearted over the loss. Joshua and the elders tore their clothes, put dust on their heads, and fell on their faces before the ark of the Lord until evening time.

Joshua sought the Lord as to why they had not won the battle. He was also afraid that the surrounding nations would know they had been beaten and come against them in battle. Joshua asked the Lord, What will You do for Your great name (Josh. 7:9b)?

The Lord spoke to Joshua and asked him why he was down-hearted and informed Joshua that Israel’s sin against Him was the reason for the defeat at Ai. The Lord said to Joshua, Therefore the sons of Israel cannot stand before their enemies; they turn their backs before their enemies, for they have become accursed. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy the things under the ban from your midst (Josh. 7:12).

God told Joshua to have the people consecrate themselves and informed Joshua of His plan to remove the curse from them. God said He would call the people by lot, and households, down to the single man who was guilty. Joshua said to the people, It shall be that the one who is taken with the things under the ban shall be burned with fire, he and all that belongs to him, because he has transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he has committed a disgraceful thing in Israel (Josh. 7:15).

The next morning everything progressed as the Lord had said. When Achan was pointed out as the offender, Joshua said to him, My son, I implore you, give glory to the LORD, the God of Israel, and give praise to Him; and tell me now what you have done. Do not hide it from me (Josh. 7:19b). Achan admitted his sin, spoke specifically regarding the things he had taken, and the place where he had hidden them.

Joshua sent messengers to obtain the articles and bring them back to him. When that was done, they took Achan, the articles he had stolen, his family, and everything he owned to the Valley of Achor. At the Valley of Achor they stoned them and burned them with fire. Afterward, they raised a large heap of stones over them.

8

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GOD TOLD JOSHUA TO not fear or be dismayed but to go up to Ai for another battle. God said He had given the king of Ai into Joshua’s hand and they would do to him as they did to Jericho. He said they could take the spoil in the city for themselves. He told Joshua to set an ambush behind the city.

Joshua took thirty thousand men with him and sent them out at night. Joshua commanded the army to stay close to the city. He said that he and the others would draw the people out by acting as if they were fleeing battle, causing them to pursue. When they came out after the first group, the second group would attack from behind. He gave orders that the city was to be set on fire according to the word of the Lord.

Joshua rose early in the morning and gathered the people. Joshua went before the people, along with the elders of Israel. Joshua set everyone in place, with five thousand men set in ambush. The plan happened as Joshua said. When the people began to pursue Israel, thinking they were drawing away from battle, they were ambushed. The city was left unguarded. God told Joshua to stretch out the javelin in his hand toward the city, and Joshua obeyed. At that moment the men placed for the ambush entered the city and overtook it.

The people of Ai turned and saw their city on fire. The group of Israelites that the people of Ai had been pursuing suddenly turned on them. They were trapped. After the battle, there was none left alive except the king of Ai. They captured him and brought him to Joshua. Joshua did not withdraw his hand that held the javelin until he had completely destroyed the inhabitants of Ai.

The people of Israel took the cattle and spoil for themselves. Joshua hung the king of Ai on a tree until the evening. At sunset he took the body down, threw it at the entrance of the city gate and covered it with a heap of stones.

Joshua built an altar to the Lord at Mt. Ebal, as Moses had commanded. The altar was created from uncut stones. They offered burnt offerings and peace offerings to the Lord on that altar. Joshua wrote a copy of the Law of Moses on the stones. All of Israel was present; the stranger as well as the native. Joshua read all the words of the law; blessing and cursing. Even the women, the children, and the strangers were among the people when Joshua read the law.

9

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