Romans 13
1 Every [believer] must be subject to the authorities. [Remember that] God is the only one [who gives officials their] authority. Furthermore, those officials that exist are ones who have been appointed by God {God has appointed}.
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 So whoever resists the officials is resisting what God has established. Furthermore, those who resist officials will bring on themselves [from the officials] the punishment [that God considers fitting].
So then, whoever resists authority opposes what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
3 What rulers [do] is not [to cause people who] do good deeds to be afraid. Instead, [what they do is to cause people who do] evil to be afraid. So, if any of you [RHQ] wants to be unafraid of officials, do what is good! [If you(sg) do good], they will commend you [instead of punishing you!]
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 It is in order to serve God [by doing their work that every official exists], in order that they may benefit each of you. If any of you does what is evil, you [(sg) will rightfully have reason to] be afraid, because the authority that they have to punish people [MTY] is very real [LIT]! The officials exist to serve God. That is, they act as God’s agents as they punish those who do evil.
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 is necessary for you [(pl)] to be subject [to officials], not only because they will punish you [MTY] [if you disobey them], but also because you know [that you should be subject to them]
Therefore it is necessary to be subject to authority, not only because of wrath, but also because of conscience.
6 It is for this reason that you also pay taxes, because the officials are ones who serve God as they continually do their work.
That is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are servants of God, attending continually to this work.
7 Give to all [the officials] what you are supposed to give to them! Pay taxes to [those who require that you pay taxes]. Pay duties [on goods to those who require that you pay those] duties. Respect [those who ought to] be respected. Honor [those who ought to] 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 Pay all of your debts [when you are supposed to pay them]. The only thing [that is like] a debt that [you] should never stop paying is to love one another. Whoever loves others has fulfilled all that [God requires in] his laws.
Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another, for he who loves others has fulfilled the law.
9 [There are many things that God] commanded [in his laws, such as] do not commit adultery, do not murder [anyone], do not steal, and do not desire anything that belongs to someone else. But the command by which they are all summed up {that includes them all} is this: Each of you must love the people with whom you come in contact, just like you [(sg)] love 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 If you love people with whom you come in contact [PRS], you will not do any evil to them [LIT]. So, whoever loves [others] fulfills all that [God’s] laws [require].
Love does no harm to its neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 [Do] what I have just told you, especially since you know [the significance of] the time [in which we are living. You know that it is] time for you to be [fully alert and active] [MET], [like people who have] awakened from sleeping [MET], because [the time when Christ will finally] deliver us [from this world’s pain/sin and sorrow] is near. That time (is closer than/was not so close) when we first believed [in Christ].
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 [Our time to live in this world] [MTY] [is almost ended] [MET], [like] a night that is nearly ended. The time [when Christ will return] [MTY] is near. So we must quit doing wicked deeds [MET] [such as people do] in the darkness, and [we must be doing the things that will help us resist Satan/evil] [MET], [as soldiers who] put on their armor in the daytime [get ready to resist their enemies].
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 We must behave properly, as though the time [when Christ will return] [MTY] [were already here]. We must not participate in drunken carousing [HEN]. We must not commit any kind of sexual immorality [MTY, DOU]. We must not quarrel. We must not be jealous [of other people].
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 On the contrary, you/we should [be like] the Lord Jesus Christ [so that others will see that we belong to him], just as [people] put on [special clothes so that others will see what group they belong to] [MET]. You/We should stop thinking about [doing the things that your/our] self-directed nature desires.
But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
