Plain Truth 1963 (Vol XXVIII No 05) May - And He said to them, "Go ...

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The PLAIN TRUTH
May, 1963
holding. The men with him suddenly turned on the Canaanites. The thousands of
Israelite soldiers hiding at the north rim of the valley opposite Ai leaped out of hiding
and stormed down the slopes at a right angle to the path of the enemy troops racing
The King of Ai was horrified when he
turned to look back on his city.
back toward the cities of Ai and Bethel.
The 30,000 in hiding on the west plunged
toward Bethel.
Then out of Ai rushed the five thousand
Israelites who had set the lires in the
streets of the city to lure the enemy soldiers
back. Joining the other troops they set
off directly toward the oncoming troops of
Ai and Bethel. At the same time Joshua
and the men with him began pursuing
the Canaanites westward.
Boxed in on three sides by rapidly
approaching trOOpS, the Canaanites had to
stand and light or race madly about trying
to lind a way of escape to the south. Those
who tried to light were quickly wiped out.
Those who tried to /lee up the south slope of the valley were overtaken and slaughtered.
The only man to be captured alive was
the king. (Joshua 8: 18-23.)
Leaving thousands of dead bodies littering
the valley, the Israelites converged
on Ai and destroyed the rest of the pagans
who remained there. Not until then did
Joshua lower the banner that waved from
his spear.
Things of value were removed from
the city, and then it was burned. As for
the king of Ai, he was hanged on a tree as
a punishment for his gross idolatry. At
sunset his body was cut down, tossed on the
ground before one of the gates of Ai and
covered with a large heap of stones. News
of the king's disgraceful end was certain
to swiftly reach other rulers of nearby
The would-be defender of Ai was slain and
suspended from a tree outside the city he had
ruled.