1 Let every person p be subject to the governing authorities. For q there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you r will receive his approval, 4 for s he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, t an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer. 5 Therefore one must be in subjection, not only to avoid God's wrath but also u for the sake of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for the authorities are ministers of God, attending to this very thing. 7 v Pay to all what is owed to them: taxes to whom taxes are owed, revenue to whom revenue is owed, respect to whom respect is owed, honor to whom honor is owed.
8 w Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for x the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, y "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: z "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore a love is the fulfilling of the law.
11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you b to wake from sleep. c For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 d The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us e cast off f the works of darkness and g put on the armor of light. 13 h Let us walk properly as in the daytime, i not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, j not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But k put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, l to gratify its desires.
English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.