²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals^(A) too numerous for you.

²² The Lord your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little.^(A) You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you.

3 These are the nations the Lord left to test^(A) 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^(B) rulers of the Philistines,^(C) all the Canaanites, the Sidonians, and the Hivites^(D) living in the Lebanon mountains from Mount Baal Hermon^(E) to Lebo Hamath.^{(F) 4} They were left to test^(G) the Israelites to see whether they would obey the Lord’s commands, which he had given their ancestors through Moses.

¹² Yet the Manassites were not able^(A) to occupy these towns, for the Canaanites were determined to live in that region. ¹³ However, when the Israelites grew stronger, they subjected the Canaanites to forced labor but did not drive them out completely.^(B)

¹⁰ They did not dislodge the Canaanites living in Gezer; to this day the Canaanites live among the people of Ephraim but are required to do forced labor.^(A)

⁶³ Judah could not^(A) dislodge the Jebusites^(B), who were living in Jerusalem;^(C) to this day the Jebusites live there with the people of Judah.^(D)