⁵⁵ But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as ^(A)barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

³ So now I say, ^(A)I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become ^(B)thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”

¹⁶ And ^(A)you shall consume all the peoples that the Lord your God will give over to you. ^(B)Your eye shall not pity them, neither shall you serve their gods, for that would be ^(C)a snare to you.

¹² For if you turn back and cling to the remnant of these nations remaining among you ^(A)and make marriages with them, so that you associate with them and they with you, ¹³ know for certain that ^(B)the Lord your God will no longer drive out these nations before you, ^(C)but they shall be a snare and a trap for you, a whip on your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good ground that the Lord your God has given you.

⁴ for they would turn away your sons from following me, to serve other gods. ^(A)Then the anger of the Lord would be kindled against you, and he would destroy you ^(B)quickly.

²¹ But the people of Benjamin did not drive out the Jebusites who lived in Jerusalem, ^(A)so the Jebusites have lived with the people of Benjamin in Jerusalem to this day.

²² The house of Joseph also went up against Bethel, ^(B)and the Lord was with them. ²³ And the house of Joseph scouted out Bethel. (^(C)Now the name of the city was formerly Luz.) ²⁴ And the spies saw a man coming out of the city, and they said to him, “Please show us the way into the city, ^(D)and we will deal kindly with you.” ²⁵ And he showed them the way into the city. And they struck the city with the edge of the sword, but they let the man and all his family go. ²⁶ And the man went to ^(E)the land of the Hittites and built a city and called its name Luz. That is its name to this day.

Failure to Complete the Conquest

^27 (F)Manasseh did not drive out the inhabitants of Beth-shean and its villages, or Taanach and its villages, or the inhabitants of Dor and its villages, or the inhabitants of Ibleam and its villages, or the inhabitants of Megiddo and its villages, for the Canaanites persisted in dwelling in that land. ²⁸ When Israel grew strong, they put the Canaanites to forced labor, but did not drive them out completely.

^29 (G)And Ephraim did not drive out the Canaanites who lived in Gezer, so the Canaanites lived in Gezer among them.

³⁰ Zebulun did not drive out the inhabitants of Kitron, or the inhabitants of ^(H)Nahalol, so the Canaanites lived among them, but became subject to forced labor.

^31 (I)Asher did not drive out the inhabitants of Acco, or the inhabitants of Sidon or of Ahlab or of Achzib or of Helbah or of Aphik or of Rehob, ³² so the Asherites lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out.

³³ Naphtali did not drive out the inhabitants of ^(J)Beth-shemesh, or the inhabitants of Beth-anath, so they lived among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. Nevertheless, the inhabitants of Beth-shemesh and of Beth-anath became subject to forced labor for them.

^34 (K)The Amorites pressed the people of Dan back into the hill country, for they did not allow them to come down to the plain. ³⁵ The Amorites persisted in dwelling in Mount Heres, ^(L)in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim, but the hand of the house of Joseph rested heavily on them, and they became subject to forced labor. ³⁶ And the border of the Amorites ran from ^(M)the ascent of Akrabbim, from Sela and upward.

³³ They shall not dwell in your land, lest they make you sin against me; for if you serve their gods, ^(A)it will surely be a snare to you.”

²⁴ “And for the house of Israel ^(A)there shall be no more a brier to prick or ^(B)a thorn to hurt them among all their neighbors ^(C)who have treated them with contempt. Then they will know that I am the Lord God.