² Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai, which is beside Beth Aven, on the east side of Bethel, and spoke to them, saying, Go up and spy out the land. The men went up and spied out Ai.

¹² Their border on the north quarter was from the Jordan; and the border went up to the side of Jericho on the north, and went up through the hill-country westward; and the goings out of it were at the wilderness of Beth Aven.

¹⁵ "Though you, Israel, play the prostitute, Yet don't let Judah offend; And don't come to Gilgal, Neither go up to Beth Aven, Nor swear, 'As Yahweh lives.'

²³ So Yahweh saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by Beth Aven.

⁵ The Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the sea-shore in multitude: and they came up, and encamped in Michmash, eastward of Beth Aven.

¹⁵ Therefore watch carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise;

¹⁶ "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

⁶ For by wise guidance you wage your war; And victory is in many advisors.

¹⁸ Plans are established by advice; By wise guidance you wage war!

³¹ The children of Benjamin also [lived] from Geba [onward], at Michmash and Aija, and at Bethel and the towns of it,

⁹ the king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one;

¹ Joshua the son of Nun sent out of Shittim two men as spies secretly, saying, Go, view the land, and Jericho. They went and came into the house of a prostitute whose name was Rahab, and lay there.

¹⁹ He called the name of that place Bethel, but the name of the city was Luz at the first.

⁸ He left from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to Yahweh, and called on the name of Yahweh.