A reading from the Book of Joshua.

And the Lord said to Joshua, Do not fear and do not be dismayed.

Take all the fighting men with you and arise.

Go up to I.

See, I have given into your hand the king of I and his people, his city, and his land.

And you shall do to I and its king, as you did to Jericho and

its king. Only its spoil and its livestock you shall take as plunder for yourselves. Lay an ambush

against the city, behind it. So Joshua and all the fighting men arose to go up to I, and Joshua chose thirty thousand

mighty men of valor and sent them out by night, and he commanded them.

Behold you shall lie in ambush against the city behind it.

Do not go very far from the city, but all of you remain ready. And I and all the people who are

with me will approach the city. And when they come out against us, just as before, we shall flee before

them. And they will come out after us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say

they are fleeing

from us just as before. So we will flee before them. Then you shall rise up from the ambush

and seize the city, for the Lord your God will give it into your hand. And as soon as you

have taken the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the

word of the Lord. See, I have commanded you. So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place

of ambush and lay between Bethel and I, to the west of I, but Joshua spent that night among the people.

Joshua arose early in the morning, and mustered the people and went up he and the elders

of Israel before the people to I, and all the fighting men who were with him went up, and

drew near before the city and encamped on the north side of I with

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