NET Bible
"They will attack us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say,‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them."
— Joshua 8:6, NET Bible
“(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.”
“and they will come out after us, till we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: so we will flee before them; ”
“They will come out after us, until we have drawn them away from the city; for they will say, 'They flee before us, like the first time.' So we will flee before them,”
“Till they pursuing us be drawn farther from the city: for they will think that we flee as before.”
“And they will come out after us, till we have got them away from the town; for they will say, They have gone in flight from us as before; so we will go in flight before them;”
“(For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them from the city; for they will say, They flee before us, as at the first: therefore we will flee before them.”
Joshua and the whole army marched against Ai. Joshua selected thirty thousand brave warriors and sent them out at night.
He ordered them,“Look, set an ambush behind the city. Don’t go very far from the city; all of you be ready!
I and all the troops who are with me will approach the city. When they come out to fight us like before, we will retreat from them.
They will attack us until we have lured them from the city, for they will say,‘They are retreating from us like before.’ We will retreat from them.
Then you rise up from your hiding place and seize the city. The LORD your God will hand it over to you.
When you capture the city, set it on fire in keeping with the Lord’s message. See, I have given you orders.”
Joshua sent them away and they went to their hiding place west of Ai, between Bethel and Ai. Joshua spent that night with the army.