These are the nations the Lord left to testq 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 fiver rulers of the Philistines,s all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivitest living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermonu to Lebo Hamath.v 4 They were left to testw the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

5 The Israelites livedx among the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites,y Hivites and Jebusites.z 6 They took their daughtersa in marriage and gave their own daughters to their sons, and served their gods.b

Othniel

7 The Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord; they forgot the Lordc their God and served the Baals and the Asherahs.d 8 The anger of the Lord burned against Israel so that he solde them into the hands of Cushan-Rishathaimf king of Aram Naharaim,a g to whom the Israelites were subject for eight years. 9 But when they cried outh to the Lord, he raised up for them a deliverer,i Othnielj son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother, who saved them. 10 The Spirit of the Lord came on him,k so that he became Israel’s judgeb and went to war. The Lord gave Cushan-Rishathaiml king of Aramm into the hands of Othniel, who overpowered him. 11 So the land had peacen for forty years,o until Othniel son of Kenazp died.