Romans 13

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Submission to Authorities

¹Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which is from God. The authorities that exist have been appointed by God.

¹Let every soul be subject to the authorities being above him. For there is no authority except by God; but those existing are appointed by God.

²Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

²Therefore the one setting himself against the authority has resisted the ordinance of God, and those having resisted will receive judgment to themselves.

³For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.

³For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Now do you want not to fear the authority? Do that which is good, and you will have praise from him.

⁴For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer.

⁴For he is God’s servant to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is God’s servant, an avenger for wrath to the one practicing evil.

⁵Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.

⁵Therefore it is necessary to be subject, not only because of wrath, but also because of the conscience.

⁶This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work.

⁶For because of this, you also pay taxes; for they are ministers of God, attending continually to this very thing.

⁷Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

⁷Pay to all their dues: tax to whom tax, revenue to whom revenue, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

⁸Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one loving the other has fulfilled the law.

⁹The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,”^a and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^b

⁹For, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and if any other commandment, it is summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

¹⁰Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

¹⁰Love works no evil to the neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

¹¹And do this, understanding the occasion. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, for our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

¹¹And do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to be awakened out of sleep; for our salvation is nearer now than when we came to believe.

¹²The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

¹²The night is advanced, and the day has drawn near; therefore let us lay aside the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.

¹³Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

¹³Let us walk properly as in daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

¹⁴Instead, clothe yourselves with^a the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh.

¹⁴But put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no forethought for the desires of the flesh.