²⁷ But Manasseh did not^(A) drive out the people of Beth Shan or Taanach or Dor^(B) or Ibleam^(C) or Megiddo^(D) and their surrounding settlements, for the Canaanites^(E) were determined to live in that land.

²¹ I will no longer drive out^(A) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(B) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(C)

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test^(D) all those Israelites who had not experienced any of the wars in Canaan ² (he did this only to teach warfare to the descendants of the Israelites who had not had previous battle experience): ³ the five^(E) rulers of the Philistines,^(F) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites^(G) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon^(H) to Lebo Hamath.^{(I) 4} They were left to test^(J) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

⁵ The Israelites lived^(K) among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,^(L) Hivites and Jebusites.^{(M) 6} They took their daughters^(N) in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.^(O)