Quotes About Leadership

“Command the priests who carry the ark of the Testimony to come up from the Jordan.”

So Joshua commanded the priests, “Come up from the Jordan.”

Now when all the Amorite kings west of the Jordan and all the Canaanite kings along the coast heard how the LORD had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the Israelites until they had crossed over, their hearts melted and their spirits failed for fear of the Israelites.

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”

“Neither,” He replied. “I have now come as Commander of the LORDís army.” Then Joshua fell facedown in reverence and asked Him, “What does my Lord have to say to His servant?”

And the LORD said to Joshua, “Behold, I have delivered Jericho into your hand, along with its king and its mighty men of valor.

And he told the people, “Advance and march around the city, with the armed troops going ahead of the ark of the LORD.”

But Joshua had commanded the people: “Do not give a battle cry or let your voice be heard; do not let one word come out of your mouth until the day I tell you to shout. Then you are to shout!”

Joshua got up early the next morning, and the priests took the ark of the LORD.

So the LORD was with Joshua, and his fame spread throughout the land.

On returning to Joshua, they reported, “There is no need to send all the people; two or three thousand men are enough to go up and attack Ai. Since the people of Ai are so few, you need not wear out all our people there.”

So about three thousand men went up, but they fled before the men of Ai.

Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.

“O, Lord GOD,” Joshua said, “why did You ever bring this people across the Jordan to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be destroyed? If only we had been content to stay on the other side of the Jordan!

But the LORD said to Joshua, “Stand up! Why have you fallen on your face?

So Joshua arose early the next morning and had Israel come forward tribe by tribe, and the tribe of Judah was selected.

He had the clans of Judah come forward, and the clan of the Zerahites was selected. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward, and the family of Zabdi was selected.

“Why have you brought this trouble upon us?” said Joshua. “Today the LORD will bring trouble upon you!” And all Israel stoned him to death. Then they stoned the others and burned their bodies.

Then the LORD said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid or discouraged. Take the whole army with you, and go up and attack Ai. See, I have delivered into your hand the king of Ai, his people, his city, and his land.

And you shall do to Ai and its king as you did to Jericho and its king, except that you may carry off their plunder and livestock for yourselves. Set up an ambush behind the city.”

So Joshua and the whole army set out to attack Ai. Joshua chose 30,000 mighty men of valor and sent them out at night

Then I and all the troops with me will advance on the city. When they come out against us as they did the first time, we will flee from them.

They will pursue us until we have drawn them away from the city, for they will say, ëThe Israelites are running away from us as they did before.í So as we flee from them,

So Joshua sent them out, and they went to the place of ambush and lay in wait between Bethel and Ai, to the west of Ai. But Joshua spent that night among the people.