Romans 13
Submission to the Authorities
1 Let every soul be a subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists b the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will 1 bring judgment on themselves. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? c Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. 4 For he is God's minister 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 minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. 5 Therefore d you must be subject, not only because of wrath e but also for conscience' sake. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing. 7 f Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.
Fulfilling the Law Through Love
8 Owe no one anything except to love one another, for g he who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, h "You shall not commit adultery," "You shall not murder," "You shall not steal," 2 "You shall not bear false witness," "You shall not covet," 3 and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, i "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 4 10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore j love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time k to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. l Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and m let us put on the armor of light. 13 n Let us walk 5 properly, as in the day, o not in revelry and drunkenness, p not in lewdness and lust, q not in strife and envy. 14 But r put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and s make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.