About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible::

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.

5/29/2023

Joshua 8:1-35 Conquering the City of Ai

 

Conquering the City of Ai

Joshua 8:1-35               The Book of Joshua [in Smaller Chunks]

The Lord said to Joshua, [Don’t be fearful or discouraged.] Take all the [men] of war with you & arise & go up to Ai. See, I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city & his land, into your hand. 

You shall do to Ai & [its] king, [just as you did] to Jericho & her king. You shall take [as plunder] for yourself, only [its livestock.] Lay an ambush behind the city. So, Joshua arose & all  the [men] of war, to go up against Ai.

Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor & sent them away [at] night. He commanded them, saying, [Look,] you shall lie in wait behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city & all [of] you be ready. 

The people [who] are with me & I  will approach the city. It shall [happen,] when they come out against us, [like the 1st time,] we will flee [in front of them.] (For they will come out after us) [until] we have drawn them from the city:

For they will say, They flee before us, [like] the 1st [time.] Therefore, we will flee [in front of them.] Then, we shall rise up from the ambush & seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your [hands.]

It shall [happen,] when you have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the command of the Lord, [like] I have [ordered] you. 

Therefore, Joshua sent them [out] & they went to lie in ambush & [stayed] on the west side of Ai, between Bethel & Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people [of Israel.] 

Joshua rose up early in the morning & numbered the people. [Joshua] & the elders went up before the [Israelites] to Ai. All the people, [including] the people of war that were with him & went up & [came close] to the [front] of the city. 

They pitched [their tents] on the north side of Ai. Now, there was a valley between them and Ai. [Joshua] took about 5,000 men & [had] them lie in ambush between Bethel & Ai on the west side of the city. 

When [all] the people were [positioned] & all the [army] was on the north [side] of the city & [those on] the west [side, who lie] in wait [to ambush;] Joshua went into the [middle] of the valley that night.

It [happened,] when [Ai’s] king saw it, they [hurried] & rose up early. The [king,] the men of the city & all the people went out against Israel to battle, at the appointed time, [in front of the plain,] but the [king didn’t know] there were [those lying] in wait behind the city [to] ambush them. 

Joshua & all Israel [acted] as if they were beaten before them & fled by the [road] of the wilderness. All of [Ai’s] people called [out] to pursue together after Joshua & [they] were drawn away from the city.

There wasn’t a man left in Ai or Bethel, [who didn’t go] out after Israel. They left the city open & pursued after Israel. The Lord said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear in your hand toward Ai; for I will give [the city] into your hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear in his hand toward the city.

The [ambushers] arose quickly out of their place & ran [out] as soon as [Joshua] stretched out his hand. They entered into the city & [captured] it & [hurried] & set the city on fire.

When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw the smoke of the city [going] up to heaven & they had no power to flee this way or that way. The [Israelites who had] fled into the wilderness, turned back upon the pursuers. 

When Joshua & all Israel saw that the ambush had taken the city & that the smoke of the city ascended up, they then [returned] again & [killed] the men of Ai. [The Israelites inside the] city, [came out] against them. 

So they were in the [middle] of [the Israelites,] some on this side & some on that side. [They struck them down,] so that none of them [remained or escaped.] They took [Ai’s] king alive & brought him to Joshua. 

It [happened,] when Israel had made an end of [killing all of Ai’s] inhabitants in the field, in the wilderness [where] they chased them & when they had been [struck] with the edge of the sword & were [destroyed, then] all the Israelites returned to Ai & [struck] it with the edge of the sword. 

So it was, all [who] fell that day [of] both me & women were 12,000, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua [didn’t pull back] his hand he used to [hold] out the spear, until they had [totally] destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 

Israel took only the [livestock & the plunder] of that city, for themselves, according to the word [that] the Lord [had] commanded Joshua. Joshua burnt Ai & made it a desolate heap forever, even [until] this day. 

[Joshua had hung Ai’s] king on a tree until [twilight.] As soon as the sun set, Joshua commanded that they should take down his [carcass] from the tree & [throw] it by the [entrance] gate of the city. 

They [put] a heap of stones [on it where] they remain to this day. Then, Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, [like] Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded the children [people] of Israel.  

[Like] it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an altar [should be made] of whole stones, [in which] no iron [tools have been used.] They offered burnt offerings to the Lord [on it] & sacrificed Peace Offerings.

[Joshua] wrote a copy of Moses’ Law upon the stones in the presence of the children [people] of Israel. And all Israel, their elders, officers & their judges stood on this side [of] the Ark.

On the [other] side stood the priests, the Levites, [who carried] the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, as well [as the strangers] & [those who were] born among them. 

Half of them [were] over against Mount Gerizim & half were over against Mount Ebal; as Moses, the servant of the Lord, [had previously] commanded, that they should bless the people of Israel.

Afterward, [Joshua] read all the words of the Law, the blessings & [curses,] according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 

[There] wasn’t a word that Moses commanded, [that] Joshua didn’t read before the congregation of Israel, with the women & little ones & the strangers [living] among them.