expression used in the original text. The Hebrew has literally “when the judges judged.” This becomes doubly confusing, since “the judges” would seem to imply old information. This would, of course, be true for the Jews who would read the story; but it is essential that some modification of this expression be made in a number of receptor languages. An additional difficulty occurs in the use of the term “judges,” since in many societies it may seem quite anomalous to have a judge ruling. The task