18:2a

This verse begins with a Greek word that versions such as the New American Standard Bible translate literally as “saying.” In this verse, Jesus began to tell the story that was introduced in 18:1. Introduce this in a natural way in your language. For example:

He said: (New International Version)

In a certain town there was a judge: This clause introduces one of the two important people in the parable. Some other ways to introduce him are:

There was a judge in a certain city (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
In a town there was once a judge (Contemporary English Version)

Introduce the judge in a way that is natural in your language for introducing an important person in a story.

a certain town: The expression a certain town is a general way to refer to a town without mentioning its name. In some languages it may be more natural not to mention the town until 18:3a. See the General Comment on 18:2a–3a at the end of 18:3a for an example.

judge: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as judge also occurred in 12:14 and 12:58. See how you translated it there. A judge is a person who listens to court cases and decides who is right and who is wrong. In this parable Jesus probably referred to a person who was appointed to settle disputes and other court cases for the people in his town.

In some languages it is natural to translate judge with a descriptive phrase. For example:

man who settled disputes/cases
-or-
elder who decided cases ⌊for people⌋

18:2b

who neither feared God nor respected men: This negative statement describes two facts about the judge’s attitude: he did not fear God, and he did not care about people. Here is another way to translate this:

who did not fear God and did not respect man (New American Standard Bible)

This statement does not imply that there were other judges there who did fear God. The story implies that this judge was the only judge in that town, since the widow came to him many times. Translate in a way that makes this clear in your language. Another way to translate it is:

In one city there was a certain judge. He did not fear God or respect people.

neither feared God: In this context the phrase neither feared God indicates that the judge did not have reverence or respect for God. He did not fear that God would punish him for being unjust. When he decided what to do about the people’s court cases, he did not think about God. Other ways to translate this are:

This judge did not respect God.
-or-
did not submit to God
-or-
absolutely was not afraid of God
-or-
was a godless man (New Living Translation (1996))

nor respected men: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as nor respected men means that the judge did not respect other people. He did not honor them, and he did not care about their opinions. In court, he did not care if people thought that he judged rightly or wrongly. The text implies that this lack of respect was evil. Other ways to translate it are:

did not respect people
-or-
did not treat his fellow men according to custom
-or-
did not honor anyone

The English phrase nor respected men could mean that he was not concerned about their welfare. However, the focus of the Greek term is on lack of respect. It is parallel to the judge’s attitude toward God. He did not show respect to either God or people. Try to use a specific term in your language that will express this focus. In some languages there may be an idiom to express it. For example:

looked-down-on his fellow humans

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men means “human being.” It refers to any person, not specifically to males. Other ways to translate it here are:

anyone
-or-
other people

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