the book contains the stories of many "judges" who were leaders who typically led the people in battle and then served as a civil leader. while not kings, these men were respected and they sometimes decided cases. that is why they were called judges. one of the judges was samson who was a very strong man. he fought against the philistines. after his girl friend, delilah, tricked him by cutting his hair, he was made a slave. at his death, he destroyed many enemies by pulling down a building on them. gideon was another famous judge. he defeated an army of midianites with only 300 men. another famous judge was deborah, possible the most powerful woman in the bible. she was a military, civil and religious leader.