7But the people of Israel weren’t faithful to the Lord. They didn’t do what they were told to do with the things that had been set apart to him in a special way to be destroyed.

Achan had taken some of those things. So the Lord’s anger burned against Israel. Achan was the son of Carmi. Carmi was the son of Zimri. And Zimri was the son of Zerah. They were from the tribe of Judah.

²Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai. Ai is near Beth Aven east of Bethel. Joshua told the men, “Go up and check out the area around Ai.” So the men went up and checked it out.

³Then they returned to Joshua. They said, “The whole army doesn’t have to go up and attack Ai. Send only two or three thousand men. They can take the city. Don’t make the whole army go up there. Ai only has a few men.”

⁴So only about 3,000 men went up. But the men of Ai drove them away. ⁵They chased the men of Israel from the city gate all the way to Shebarim. They killed about 36 of them on the way down.

So the hearts of the people of Israel melted away in fear.

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