3:1 These were the nations the Lord permitted to remain so he could use them to test Israel – he wanted to test all those who had not experienced battle against the Canaanites. 1 3:2 He left those nations simply because he wanted to teach the subsequent generations of Israelites, who had not experienced the earlier battles, how to conduct holy war. 2 3:3 These were the nations: 3 the five lords of the Philistines, all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites living in Mount Lebanon, from Mount Baal Hermon to Lebo-Hamath. 4 3:4 They were left to test Israel, so the Lord would know if his people would obey the commands he gave their ancestors through Moses. 5
3:5 The Israelites lived among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. 3:6 They took the Canaanites’ daughters as wives and gave their daughters to the Canaanites; 6 they worshiped 7 their gods as well.
3:7 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight. 8 They forgot the Lord their God and worshiped the Baals and the Asherahs. 9 3:8 The Lord was furious with Israel 10 and turned them over to 11 King Cushan-Rishathaim 12 of Aram-Naharaim. They were Cushan-Rishathaim’s subjects 13 for eight years. 3:9 When the Israelites cried out for help to the Lord, he 14 raised up a deliverer for the Israelites who rescued 15 them. His name was Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother. 16