⁸ From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. He built an altar to the Lord there, and he called on the name of the Lord.^(A)

² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is near Beth-aven,^(A) east of Bethel, and told them, ‘Go up and scout the land.’ So the men went up and scouted Ai.

⁹ So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the ambush site and waited between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But he spent that night with the troops.