Romans, 13

1. Everyone is to obey the governing authorities, because there is no authority except from God and so whatever authorities exist have been appointed by God.

1. Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.

2. So anyone who disobeys an authority is rebelling against God's ordinance; and rebels must expect to receive the condemnation they deserve.

2. Therefore he who resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

3. Magistrates bring fear not to those who do good, but to those who do evil. So if you want to live with no fear of authority, live honestly and you will have its approval;

3. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of him who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,

4. it is there to serve God for you and for your good. But if you do wrong, then you may well be afraid; because it is not for nothing that the symbol of authority is the sword: it is there to serve God, too, as his avenger, to bring retribution to wrongdoers.

4. for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain; he is the servant of God to execute his wrath on the wrongdoer.

5. You must be obedient, therefore, not only because of this retribution, but also for conscience's sake.

5. Therefore one must be subject, not only to avoid God's wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

6. And this is why you should pay taxes, too, because the authorities are all serving God as his agents, even while they are busily occupied with that particular task.

6. For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing.

7. Pay to each one what is due to each: taxes to the one to whom tax is due, tolls to the one to whom tolls are due, respect to the one to whom respect is due, honour to the one to whom honour is due.

7. Pay all of them their dues, taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

8. The only thing you should owe to anyone is love for one another, for to love the other person is to fulfil the law.

8. Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

9. All these: You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet, and all the other commandments that there are, are summed up in this single phrase: You must love your neighbour as yourself.

9. The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself."

10. Love can cause no harm to your neighbour, and so love is the fulfilment of the Law.

10. Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

11. Besides, you know the time has come; the moment is here for you to stop sleeping and wake up, because by now our salvation is nearer than when we first began to believe.

11. Besides this you know what hour it is, how it is full time now for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed;

12. The night is nearly over, daylight is on the way; so let us throw off everything that belongs to the darkness and equip ourselves for the light.

12. the night is far gone, the day is at hand. Let us then cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;

13. Let us live decently, as in the light of day; with no orgies or drunkenness, no promiscuity or licentiousness, and no wrangling or jealousy.

13. let us conduct ourselves becomingly as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.

14. Let your armour be the Lord Jesus Christ, and stop worrying about how your disordered natural inclinations may be fulfilled.

14. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.