and they raised over him a great heap of stones unto this day.

And the Lord said unto Joshua, Fear not, neither be thou dismayed, arise and go up to Ai, see I have given it into thy hand. So Joshua chose out thirty thirty thousand men of valour and sent them away by night, and commanded them to lie in ambush; and Joshua and the rest of the People went up, and pitched on the North side of Ai. And the King of Ai went out against Israel to battle, and Joshua and all Israel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the Wilderness. And the Men of Ai left the City open, and pursued after Israel. And Joshua stretched out his spear toward the City, and the ambnsh arose, and entered the City, and took it, and set it on fire. And when the Men of Ai looked behind them, they saw and beheld the smoke of the City ascended up to Heaven. And Joshua turned and slew the Men of Ai, and the ambush issued out of the City and smote them, so that they let none of them escape.

Then Joshua built an Altar unto the Lord, and read all the words of the Law to all the Congregation, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers.

And all the Kings on this side Jordan gathered themselves together to fight with Joshua and with Israel, with one accord. And when the Inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jerico and Ai, they did work wilily, and went and made as if they had been Ambassadors, and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old and rent, and old shoes upon their feet, and old garments; and all their bread was dry and mouldy. And they went to Joshua, to the Camp at Gilgal, and said, We be come from a far country, make ye a league with us. This bread we

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took hot from our houses, and these bottles were new, and our garments and shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men of Israel took of their victuals, and asked not counsel of the Lord. And Joshua made peace with them, to let them live; but behold at the end of three days, they came upon their Cities, and found they were their neighbours. And they let the men of Gibeon live, but they made them bondmen, hewers of wood, and drawers of water for the House of God.

And when Adonizedec, King of Jerusalem, heard how Joshua had taken Ai, and destroyed it, and how the Inhabitants of Gibeon had made peace with Israel; he sent unto the Kings of Hebron, and of Jarmuth, of Lachish, and of Eglon, and they gathered themselves together and made war against Gibeon. So Joshua ascended from Gilgal, and the men of war with him, to protect Gibeon, and they came suddenly upon the five Kings, and discomfited them. And it came to pass, as they fled before Israel, that the Lord cast down great stones upon them from Heaven, and they died. Then Joshua spake and said, Sun stand thou still upon Gibeon, and thou Moon in the Valley of Ajalon; and the Sun stood still, and the Moon stayed until the People had avenged themselves upon their enemies. So the Sun stood still in the midst of Heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a Man, for the Lord fought for Israel. And Joshua took the five Kings prisoners, and afterwards took their Cities, and destroyed all the souls that were therein. And Joshua returned and all Israel that were with him, unto the Camp to Gilgal. So Joshua took the

whole Land, according to all that the Lord said unto Moses. And Joshua gave it for an Inheritanee unto Israel, according to their divisions by their Tribes. And the Land rested from war. And Joshua appointed the bounds of the Land for every Tribe,-nine Tribes, and the half Tribe of Manasseh went over Jordan, but the Tribes of Reuben and Gad, and the other half .Tribe of Manasseh did not go over.

CHAPTER 46.

THE ISRAELITES REST IN CANAAN.

DEATH OF JOSHUA.

AND the whole Congregation of the Children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh, and set up the Tabernacle of the Congregation there. And when they had made an end of dividing the Land, the Children of Israel gave an Inheritance to Joshua.

And the Lord gave unto Israel all the Land which he sware to give unto their Fathers; and they possessed it and dwelt therein.-And the Lord gave them rest round about, and delivered their enemies into their hand.

And it came to pass, a long time after the Lord had given rest unto Israel, that Joshua waxed old; and Joshua called for all Israel, and said, I am old and stricken in age. And ye have seen all that the Lord hath done unto all these nations because of you; for the Lord your God is he that hath fought for you. Behold I have divided unto you by lot these nations that remain, from Jordan unto the Great Sea westward. And the Lord your God he shall expel them from before you, and ye shall possess their land. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Moses, that ye serve not the

Gods of these nations, but cleave unto the Lord your God as ye have done unto this day. And behold I am going the way of all the earth;-fear the Lord, and serve him in sincerity and truth, and serve no other Gods. So Joshua made a Covenant, and wrote these words in the Book of the Law of God, and took a great stone and set it up there under an Oak for a witness of the renewal of the Covenant of God with the Children of Israel.

And it came to pass after these things Joshua, the son of Nun, the servant of the Lord, died, being an hundred and ten years old. And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the Elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the Lord that he had done for Israel.

The operation of God's providence in the affairs of Nations, in the wars, and great occurrences of the world, is not now shewn in that visible manner, it was in the days of Joshua. But if you read with attention any of the great events of history, or observe with intelligence what is daily passing in your own times, you cannot fail to see the decrees and appointments of God marked in a manner equally express and awful.

CHAPTER 47.

THE BOOK OF JUDGES.

JAEL AND SISERA.

Now after the death of Joshua, for many years there was no Man to govern the twelve Tribes of Israel, but each Tribe governed itself. And the People forsook the Lord God of their Fathers, and followed other Gods, of the Gods of the People that were round about them, and served Baalim and the Groves. And they

had wars amongst themselves, one Tribe against another; and the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and they served the King of Mesopotamia eight years. And when they cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a Deliverer who delivered them, Othniel, the younger brother of Caleb; and he judged Israel, and went out to war, and the Lord delivered the King of Mesopotamia into his hand. And the land had rest forty years, and Othniel died.

And Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord strengthened Eglon, the son of Moab, and he smote Israel, and they served Moab eighteen years. And Ehud delivered them from Moab. And after him was Shamgar, which slew of the Philistines six hundred men with an ox goad; and he also delivered Israel.

And Israel did evil again in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord made them tributary to Jabin, King of Canaan, the Captain of whose host was Sisera. And Israel cried unto the Lord, for he had nine hundred Chariots of Iron, and for twenty years he mightily oppressed them.

And Deborah, a Prophetess, she judged Israel at that time, and she dwelt under the Palm Tree in Mount Ephraim. And she called Barak, and commanded himi to take ten thousand men, and said, I will draw unto thee Sisera with his Chariots and his multitude, and will deliver him into thine hand.

And Sisera came out with all his Chariots, even nine hundred Chariots of Iron, but the Lord discomfited him, and all his Chariots and all his Host, with the edge of the sword before Barak. And Sisera lighted down off his Chariot and fled away upon his feet. And Sisera came to the tent of Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite,