| International Standard Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except by God's permission. The existing authorities have been established by God, | 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. |
| 2so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. | 2Consequently, whoever resists authority is opposing what God has set in place, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. |
| 3For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval. | 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. |
| 4For they are God's servants, working for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to administer punishment to anyone who does wrong. | 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. |
| 5Therefore, it is necessary for you to be acquiescent to the authorities, not only for the sake of God's punishment, but also for the sake of your own conscience. | 5Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience. |
| 6This is also why you pay taxes. For rulers are God's servants faithfully devoting themselves to their work. | 6This is also why you pay taxes. For the authorities are God’s servants, who devote themselves to their work. |
| 7Pay everyone whatever you owe them—taxes to whom taxes are due, tolls to whom tolls are due, fear to whom fear is due, honor to whom honor is due. | 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. |
| 8Do not owe anyone anything—except to love one another. For the one who loves another has fulfilled the Law. | 8Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. |
| 9For the commandments, "You must not commit adultery; you must not murder; you must not steal; you must not covet," and every other commandment are summed up in this statement: "You must love your neighbor as yourself." | 9The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” |
| 10Love never does anything that is harmful to its neighbor. Therefore, love is the fulfillment of the Law. | 10Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. |
| 11This is necessary because you know the times—it's already time for you to wake up from sleep, because our salvation is nearer now than when we became believers. | 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. |
| 12The night is almost over, and the day is near. Let's therefore put aside the actions of darkness and put on the armor of light. | 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. |
| 13Let's behave decently, as people who live in the light of day. No wild parties, drunkenness, sexual immorality, promiscuity, quarreling, or jealousy! | 13Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. |
| 14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and do not obey your flesh and its desires. | 14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | The Berean Bible (Berean Study Bible (BSB) © 2016, 2018 by Bible Hub and Berean.Bible. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. |
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