Romans 13
1 Everyone should obey government authorities, because no one has the power to rule unless God gives permission. These authorities have been put there by God.
Every person must be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist have been appointed by God.
2 Whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has put in place, and those who do so shall find themselves judged accordingly.
So then, whoever resists authority opposes what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For rulers don't frighten those who do right, but those who do wrong. If you don't want to live in fear of the authorities, then do what is right, and you'll have their approval.
For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil works. Do yoʋ wish to have no fear of the one in authority? Do what is good, and yoʋ will have praise from him.
4 Those in power are God's servants, put there for your own good. If you do wrong, you should be frightened—it's not without reason that authorities have the power to punish! They are God's servants, punishing offenders.
For he is God's servant for your good. But if yoʋ do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. As God's servant, he is an avenger who executes wrath on the one who does evil.
5 So it's important to do as you're told, not just because of the threat of punishment, but because of what your conscience tells you.
Therefore it is necessary to be subject to authority, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 That's why you have to pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants taking care of such things.
That is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are servants of God, attending continually to this work.
7 Pay whatever you owe: taxes to the tax authorities, fees to the fee-collectors; give respect to those who should be respected, honor those who should be honored.
Therefore render to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, fear to whom fear is due, and honor to whom honor is due.
8 Don't owe anybody anything, except love for one another—for those who love their neighbor have kept the law.
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another, for he who loves others has fulfilled the law.
9 “You must not commit adultery, you must not kill, you must not steal, you must not jealously want things for yourself”—these and the other commandments are summed up in the statement, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
For the commandments, “Yoʋ shall not commit adultery, Yoʋ shall not murder, Yoʋ shall not steal, Yoʋ shall not covet,” and whatever other commandments there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Yoʋ shall love yoʋr neighbor as yoʋrself.”
10 Love doesn't do wrong to anyone, so love fulfils the law.
Love does no harm to its neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 You should do this because you realize how urgent the time is—that it's high time for you to wake up from your sleep. For salvation is closer to us now than when we first put our trust in God.
And do this, knowing that the hour has now come for us to be awakened from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.
12 The night is nearly over, the day is almost here! So let's get rid of our dark deeds and put on the armor of light.
The night is nearly over, and the day is almost here. So let us lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
13 Let's behave properly, showing that we're people who are living in the light. We shouldn't spend our time going to wild parties and getting drunk, or having affairs and acting immorally, or getting into fights and being jealous.
Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelries and drinking bouts, not in illicit affairs and sensual indulgences, not in strife and jealousy.
14 Instead put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and forget about following your sinful desires.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
