Paragraph 18:4–5
This paragraph tells how the judge responded to the widow. Here is the order of events:
4aAs the widow kept coming to the judge, the judge kept refusing to help her.
4bThe judge thought,
4c“I do not fear God or respect other people,
5abut this widow is bothering me.
5cIf I do not help her, she will continue to come with her requests until she wears me out.”
5bSo the judge decided, “I will help her get justice.”
Decide how to express the connections between these events in a clear and natural way in your language.
18:4a
For a while: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For a while is literally “for a time.” The widow had come to the judge many times and on different days. You should use an expression that fits this context. For example:
For some time (New International Version)
-or-
Many times
-or-
In the beginning
he refused: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he refused is literally “he was not willing.” It implies here that he would not agree to help the widow by hearing her court case and judging in her favor. Some ways to translate this are:
the judge refused to act (Good News Translation)
-or-
the judge refused to do anything (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he would not ⌊help her⌋
This could also be translated using direct speech. For example:
he told her, “No, ⌊I will not help you⌋”
-or-
he said to her, “No,” and he did not help her
18:4b
but later: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but later is literally “after these things.” It refers to a time after the widow had come repeatedly and pleaded with him. The phrase but later introduces the climax of the story when the judge changes his decision. Introduce it in a natural way in your language.
he said to himself: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he said to himself refers to something that the judge thought. He probably did not say the words aloud. Other ways to translate this are:
he thought (God’s Word)
-or-
he decided
18:4c
Though I neither fear God nor respect men: This clause repeats the facts about the judge’s attitude that were given in 18:2b. You should translate in a similar way here.
The judge did not respect God or other people. This attitude would normally cause him not to help the widow. However, his attitude contrasts with his decision in verse 5. He decided to help the widow anyway (18:5b) because she was bothering him (18:5a). Express this connection with 18:5 in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to translate this clause are:
It is true that I don’t fear God or respect anyone, but
-or-
Although I have no awe of God and no respect for people
-or-
I admittedly am not afraid of God and I also look-down-on my fellow humans
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