| 1 El Señor dijo a Josué: «¡No tengas miedo ni te acobardes! Toma contigo a toda la gente de guerra para atacar Ay, porque voy a poner en tus manos al rey de Ay, a su pueblo, su ciudad y su territorio. | 1 Then the Lord said to Joshua: “You should not fear, and you should not dread. Take with you the entire multitude of fighters, and rising up, ascend to the town of Ai. Behold, I have delivered into your hand its king and people, and the city and the land. |
| 2 Harás con Ay y su rey como hicisteis con Jericó y su rey. Solo que podréis quedaros con el botín y el ganado. Prepara una emboscada por detrás de la ciudad». | 2 And you shall do to the city of Ai, and to its king, just as you did to Jericho, and to its king. Yet truly, the spoils, and all the living things, you shall plunder for yourselves. Set an ambush against the city behind it.” |
| 3 Josué, con toda la gente de guerra, se dispuso a marchar sobre Ay. Escogió Josué treinta mil guerreros valientes y los hizo salir de noche, | 3 And Joshua rose up, and the entire army of warriors with him, so that they might ascend against Ai. And he sent thirty thousand elect strong men in the night. |
| 4 con esta orden: «Mirad, os ocultaréis por detrás de la ciudad, pero sin alejaros mucho de ella, y estad alerta. | 4 And he instructed them, saying: “Set an ambush behind the city. You shall withdraw not far away, and let everyone be prepared. |
| 5 Yo, con toda la gente que queda conmigo, me acercaré a la ciudad. Cuando la gente de Ay salga contra nosotros, como la primera vez, huiremos ante ellos. | 5 But I and the remainder of the multitude that is with me will approach from the opposite side of the city. And when they come out against us, we will flee and turn our backs, just as we did before, |
| 6 Saldrán tras de nosotros y los alejaremos de la ciudad, porque se dirán: “Huyen delante de nosotros como la primera vez”. | 6 until, pursuing us, they are drawn away from the city. For they will think that we are fleeing as before. |
| 7 Entonces vosotros saldréis de la emboscada y os apoderaréis de la ciudad; el Señor, vuestro Dios, os la dará. | 7 Then, while we are fleeing and they are pursuing, you shall rise up from the ambush, and you shall lay waste to the city. And the Lord your God will deliver it into your hands. |
| 8 En cuanto toméis la ciudad le daréis fuego. Lo haréis así según la orden del Señor. Mirad que os lo mando yo». | 8 And when you have seized it, set it on fire. And you shall do all that I have ordered.” |
| 9 Los despachó Josué y se fueron a poner la emboscada, apostándose entre Betel y Ay, al oeste de Ay. Josué pasó aquella noche con la gente. | 9 And he sent them away, and they traveled to the place of the ambush, and they settled between Bethel and Ai, toward the western region of the city of Ai. But Joshua remained for that night in the midst of the people. |
| 10 Se levantó Josué de mañana, pasó revista a la tropa y se dirigió contra Ay; él iba, con los ancianos de Israel, al frente de la tropa. | 10 And rising at first light, he reviewed his troops, and he went up, with the elders at the front of the army, surrounded by an auxiliary of fighters. |
| 11 Toda la gente de guerra que estaba con él se fue acercando hasta llegar frente a la ciudad y acampó al norte de Ay. El valle quedaba entre ellos y la ciudad. | 11 And when they had arrived, and had ascended from the opposite side of the city, they stood toward the northern region of the city. And there was a valley in the middle, between them and the city. |
| 12 (Josué había tomado unos cinco mil hombres y había tendido con ellos una emboscada entre Betel y Ay, al oeste de la ciudad. | 12 Now he had chosen five thousand men, and he had positioned them in ambush between Bethel and Ai, at the western part of the same city. |
| 13 Pero el grueso de la tropa acampó al norte, quedando la emboscada al oeste). Josué pasó aquella noche en medio del valle. | 13 Yet truly, all the remainder of the army was arranged in a line to the north, so that the very end of that multitude reached to the western region of the city. Then Joshua went out that night, and he stood in the middle of the valley. |
| 14 Cuando vio esto el rey de Ay, se dio prisa: madrugaron y salieron a presentar batalla a Israel en la bajada que da a la Arabá, sin saber que tenían una emboscada detrás de la ciudad. | 14 And when the king of Ai had seen this, he hurried in the morning, and he went out with the entire army of the city. And he arranged them in a line opposite the desert, not knowing that an ambush lay hidden behind his back. |
| 15 Josué y todo Israel se hicieron los derrotados y se dieron a la fuga camino del desierto. | 15 Yet truly, Joshua, and all of Israel, withdrew from the place, pretending to be afraid, and fleeing along the way of the wilderness. |
| 16 Entonces toda la gente que estaba en la ciudad salió gritando tras ellos. Al perseguir a Josué, se alejaron de la ciudad. | 16 And they pursued them, shouting together and encouraging one another. And when they had withdrawn from the city, |
| 17 No quedó un solo hombre en Ay (ni en Betel) que no saliera en persecución de Israel. Y, por perseguir a Israel, dejaron la ciudad desguarnecida. | 17 and indeed not one remained in the city of Ai and of Bethel who did not pursue after Israel, (leaving the towns open after they had rushed out,) |
| 18 El Señor dijo entonces a Josué: «Apunta hacia Ay con la jabalina que llevas en la mano, porque la voy a poner en tu mano». Josué apuntó hacia la ciudad con la jabalina que llevaba en la mano. | 18 the Lord said to Joshua: “Lift up the shield that is in your hand, toward the city of Ai. For I will deliver it to you.” |
| 19 Tan pronto como extendió la mano, los emboscados salieron corriendo de su escondite y entraron en la ciudad, se apoderaron de ella e inmediatamente la incendiaron. | 19 And when he had lifted up the shield toward the city, the ambush, which lay hidden, rose up quickly. And advancing to the city, they seized it, and set it on fire. |
| 20 Los hombres de Ay volvieron la vista atrás y vieron la humareda que subía de la ciudad hasta el cielo; no tenían escapatoria ni por un lado ni por otro, pues la gente que había huido hacia el desierto se volvió contra los perseguidores. | 20 Now the men of the city who were pursuing Joshua, looking back and seeing the smoke of the city rising up even to heaven, were no longer able to flee in one direction or another, especially since those who had pretended to flee, and who were heading toward the wilderness, had turned back very strongly against those who were pursuing them. |
| 21 Josué y todo Israel, viendo que los emboscados habían tomado la ciudad, de la que subía una humareda, se dieron la vuelta y atacaron a los hombres de Ay. | 21 And Joshua, and all of Israel, seeing that the city had been captured, and that the smoke of the city was ascending, returned and struck down the men of Ai. |
| 22 Los otros salieron de la ciudad a su encuentro, de modo que los hombres de Ay se encontraron copados por los israelitas, por un lado y por otro. Israel los derrotó hasta no dejar superviviente ni fugitivo. | 22 Then too, those who had seized and set the city on fire, departing from the city toward their own men, began to strike the enemies in the middle. Therefore, since the adversaries were cut off from both sides, none of so great a multitude was saved. |
| 23 Pero al rey de Ay lo prendieron vivo y lo condujeron ante Josué. | 23 Also, they apprehended the king of the city of Ai, alive, and they brought him before Joshua. |
| 24 Cuando Israel acabó de matar por el campo y el desierto a todos los habitantes de Ay, que habían salido hasta allí en su persecución, todos los cuales cayeron a filo de espada hasta no quedar uno, se volvieron los hijos de Israel contra Ay y pasaron a su población a filo de espada. | 24 And so, after all were slain who had pursued Israel fleeing toward the wilderness, and after they fell by the sword in the same place, the sons of Israel returned and struck the city. |
| 25 El total de los que cayeron aquel día, hombres y mujeres, fue de doce mil: todos los habitantes de Ay. | 25 Now there were twelve thousand persons who had fallen on the same day, from man even to woman, the entire city of Ai. |
| 26 Josué no retiró el brazo que tenía extendido con la jabalina hasta que fueron consagrados al exterminio todos los habitantes de Ay. | 26 Truly Joshua did not draw back his hand, which he had stretched out on high, keeping hold of the shield until all the inhabitants of Ai were put to death. |
| 27 Israel se repartió solamente el ganado y el botín de dicha ciudad, como había ordenado el Señor a Josué. | 27 Then the sons of Israel divided among themselves the cattle and the plunder of the city, just as the Lord had instructed Joshua. |
| 28 Josué incendió Ay y la convirtió para siempre en una ruina, en desolación hasta el día de hoy. | 28 And he set fire to the city, and he caused it to be a perpetual tomb. |
| 29 Al rey de Ay lo colgó de un árbol y lo dejó allí hasta la tarde; a la puesta del sol ordenó Josué que bajaran del árbol el cadáver. Lo tiraron a la entrada de la puerta de la ciudad y amontonaron sobre él un montón enorme de piedras, que existe todavía hoy. | 29 Also, he suspended the king on a gallows, until evening and the setting of the sun. And Joshua instructed, and they took down his dead body from the hanging tree. And they cast it at the very entrance of the city, gathering a great pile of stones upon it, which remains even to the present day. |
| 30 Entonces Josué construyó un altar al Señor, Dios de Israel, en el monte Ebal, | 30 Then Joshua built an altar to the Lord, the God of Israel, on Mount Ebal, |
| 31 como había mandado Moisés, siervo del Señor, a los hijos de Israel, según está escrito en el libro de la ley de Moisés: un altar de piedras sin labrar, no tocadas por el hierro. Y ofrecieron sobre él holocaustos al Señor e inmolaron sacrificios de comunión. | 31 just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed to the sons of Israel, and this was written in the book of the law of Moses: truly, an altar of uncut stones, which iron has not touched. And he offered holocausts upon it to the Lord, and he immolated victims as peace-offerings. |
| 32 Josué escribió allí mismo, sobre las piedras, una copia de la ley que Moisés había escrito en presencia de los hijos de Israel. | 32 And he wrote on the stones, the Deuteronomy of the law of Moses, which he had set in order before the sons of Israel. |
| 33 Y todo Israel, los ancianos, los escribas y los jueces, que estaban de pie a un lado y otro del Arca ante los sacerdotes levitas portadores del Arca de la Alianza del Señor, y todos, tanto emigrantes como nativos, ocuparon su sitio, la mitad en la falda del monte Garizín y la otra mitad en la falda del monte Ebal, como Moisés, el siervo del Señor, mandó primeramente bendecir al pueblo de Israel. | 33 Then all the people, and those greater by birth, and the commanders and judges were standing on both sides of the ark, in the sight of the priests who were carrying the ark of the covenant of the Lord, with both the new arrival and the native born, one half part of them beside Mount Gerizim, and one half beside Mount Ebal, just as Moses, the servant of the Lord, had instructed. And first, certainly, he blessed the people of Israel. |
| 34 Josué leyó todas las palabras de la ley (las bendiciones y las maldiciones), a tenor de lo escrito en el libro de la ley. | 34 After this, he read all the words of the blessing and the cursing, and all the things that were written in the book of the law. |
| 35 Ni una sola palabra de cuantas Moisés había prescrito dejó Josué de leer en presencia de toda la asamblea de Israel, incluidas las mujeres, los niños y los emigrantes que vivían entre ellos. | 35 He left nothing untouched out of those things that Moses had ordered, and he repeated everything before the entire multitude of Israel, with the women and the little ones, and the new arrivals who were staying among them. |
