About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible:

About the Author of the Blogsite, Not the Author of the Bible: Since the Lord had it on my heart to write this blog, I was uncertain of how to accomplish this, mindful of Revelation 22:18-19, which says that nobody is to add to, or to take away from what was written in the Bible. After lots of prayerful contemplation, the Lord had it on my heart that I’m not to change the meaning of what is written in the Bible. He has also shown ways to add to people’s understating of that meaning, without altering the meaning, by putting that info within [brackets]. This is primarily accomplished with the KJV Bible and lots of prayers, but at times, BibleGateway.com, Biblehub.com, NIV Bible, Webster Dictionary, and other internet resources, as needed. Debra Seiling

About Understanding the Bible:

Understanding the Bible: After reading Isaiah 28:10 many times over the years and not totally understanding it, it recently became apparent to me that the Lord God has this passage as the means for understanding the Bible. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. Isaiah 28:10 KJV. Being prayerful about this passage, and looking up 'precept' in the Webster's Dictionary, it gave this passage a whole new meaning, once 'commandment' is substituted for 'precept'. Within brackets are additional words the Lord had on my heart to aid in understanding the meaning. For commandment must be [built up] upon commandment; commandment upon commandment; line upon line, line upon line; [developing understanding] here a little, and there a little.

The Table Format:

The Table Format: I was overwhelmed with how to explain the process for determining if someone had leprosy in Leviticus 13, which seemed very complicated. After praying, "Lord, if this is difficult for me to understand after reading it many times, how can this be explained to others?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was for me to put it into a vertical chart to visually see the process. This made it much easier for me to follow the progression. After doing so, I prayed, "Lord, how can this be conveyed to readers, so that they can understand this process?" The thought the Lord God had on my heart was to put it within the lines of a table. Being a stiff-necked, stubborn person, as it's often called in the Bible, I prayed, asking the Lord God if He's sure that's really what He wanted me to do? I reluctantly put Leviticus 13 into a table format. When I read this difficult leprosy process within a table format, it suddenly became easier for me to understand. That's because it builds line upon line, as explained in the Understanding the Bible section. Shortly after that, the Lord God had it on my heart, to put all of The Books of the Bible in Smaller Chunks within a table format, to aid in understanding, line upon line.
By 2/20/26 All Chapters of the Bible [in Smaller Chunks] Will Be Posted. If you want to read any chapters, just Click the desired Book of the Bible on the Right, and Click on the chapters of that Book of the Bible you want to read. My personal recommendation for those who are just beginning reading the Bible, is to start in the New Testament first.

Joshua 8:1-35 Conquering the City of Ai

 

Conquering the City of Ai

Joshua 8:1-35               The Book of Joshua [in Smaller Chunks]

The Lord said to Joshua, [Don’t be fearful, nor discouraged.] Take all the [men] of war with you & arise & go up to Ai. See, I have given the king of Ai, his people, his city & his land, into your hand. 

You [shall] do to Ai & [its] king, [just as you did] to Jericho & [its] king. You shall take for a [prize for] yourselves, only the [plunder of it, & its] cattle, [a.k.a. livestock.] You, [are to] lay behind the city, for an ambush. So, Joshua & all  the [men] of war, arose to go up against Ai.

Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of [valor,] & sent them away [at] night. He commanded them, saying, [Look,] even behind the city, you shall lie in wait, [a.k.a. ready to ambush,] against the city. Don’t go very far from the city, but all [of] you be ready. 

The people [who] are with me & I will approach the city. It shall [happen,] when they come out against us, [like] the 1st [time,] we will flee [in front of] them. (For 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 1st [time.] Therefore, we will flee [in front of them.] Then, you shall rise up from the ambush, & seize the city, for the Lord your God will deliver it into your [hands.]

It shall [happen,] when you have taken, [a.k.a. captured,] the city, you shall set the city on fire. You shall do according to the [command] of the Lord. See, I have [also] commanded you [to do the Lord's command.]

Therefore, Joshua sent them [out] & they went to lie in ambush & [stayed] on the west side of Ai, between Bethel & Ai: but Joshua lodged that night among the people [of Israel.] 

Joshua rose up early in the morning & numbered, [a.k.a. counted,] the people. [Joshua] & the elders of Israel, went up before, [a.k.a. in front of,] the people, [a.k.a. Israelites,] to Ai. All the people, [including] the people of war that were with him & went up, & came [in front of] the city. 

[They] pitched [their tents] on the North side of Ai. Now, there was a valley between them and Ai. [Joshua] took about 5,000 men & [had] them lie in [wait] between Bethel & Ai on the West side of the city, [ready to] ambush. 

And when they had [positioned] the people, even all the [army] that was North of the city & [those who lie] in wait, [a.k.a. to ambush,] West of the city. Joshua went into the [middle] of the valley that night.

It [happened,] when [Ai’s] king saw it, that [the Israelites, hurried] & rose up early, The [king,] & the men of the city & all the people went out against Israel to battle, at the appointed time, [in front of] the plain.] But [the king didn’t know] that there were [those lying in wait] behind the city [to] ambush him. 

Joshua & all Israel [acted] as if they were beaten before them & fled by the [road] of the wilderness. And all [of] [Ai’s] people were called together to pursue after Joshua & [they] were drawn away from the city.

There wasn’t a man left in Ai or Bethel, [who didn’t go] out after Israel. They left the city open & pursued after Israel. The Lord said to Joshua, Stretch out the spear in your hand toward Ai; for I will give [the city] into your hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear toward the city, that he had in his hand.

The [ambushers] arose quickly out of their [places,] & they ran [out] as soon as [Joshua] stretched out his hand. They entered into the city & [captured] it & [hurried] & set the city on fire.

When the men of Ai looked behind them, they saw the smoke of the city [going] up to heaven & they had no power to flee this way or that way. The [Israelites who had] fled to the wilderness, turned back upon the [Ai] pursuers. 

When Joshua & all Israel saw that the ambush had [captured] the city, & that the smoke of the city ascended [up,] they then [returned] again, & [killed] the men of Ai. And the [others emerged] out of the city, against [those][of Ai.] 

So they were in the [middle] of [the Israelites,] some on this side & some on that side. [They struck them down,] so that none of them [from Ai] [remained or escaped.] They took [Ai’s] king alive & brought him to Joshua. 

It [happened,] when Israel had made an end of [killing] all [of Ai’s] inhabitants in the field, & in the wilderness [where] they chased them. And when they all [had] fallen on the edge of the sword, until they were [destroyed,] [then] all the Israelites returned to Ai & [struck] it with the edge of the sword. 

So it was, all [who] fell that day of both: men & women were 12,000, even all the men of Ai. For Joshua [didn’t pull back] his hand he [used to hold] out the spear, until he had [totally] destroyed all the inhabitants of Ai. 

Israel took only the cattle, [a.k.a. livestock,] & [the plunder] of that city, [as] a [prize for] themselves, according to the Word [that] the Lord [had] commanded Joshua. Joshua burnt Ai & made it a desolate heap forever, even [until] this day. 

[Joshua had Ai’s] king [hung] on a tree until [twilight.] As soon as the sun [set,] Joshua commanded that they should take down his [corpse] from the tree & [throw] it at the [entrance] gate of the city. 

And [on the corpse] [they] [put] a [large] heap of stones, that [remain] to this day. Then, Joshua built an altar to the Lord God of Israel in Mount Ebal, [like] Moses, the servant of the Lord, commanded the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel.  

[Like] it is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, an altar of whole stones, [in which] no man [has lifted] up any iron [tools.] And they offered burnt offerings to the Lord & sacrificed Peace Offerings [on it.]

[Joshua] wrote a copy of [Moses’] Law upon the stones, in the presence of the children, [a.k.a. people,] of Israel. And all: Israel, their elders, officers & their judges, stood on this side [of] the Ark.

And on the [other] side, [in front of] the priests, the Levites, [who carried] the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord, as well [as the strangers] & [those who were] born among them. 

Half of them [were] over against Mount Gerizim & half were over against Mount Ebal; as Moses, the servant of the Lord, [had previously] commanded, that they should bless the people of Israel.

Afterward, [Joshua] read all the Words of the Law, the blessings & [curses,] according to all that is written in the Book of the Law. 

[There] wasn’t a word that Moses commanded, [that] Joshua didn’t read [in front of] all the congregation of Israel, with the women & little ones & the strangers [who] were [able to speak their language,] among them.

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