| New King James Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. | 1Let everyone submit to the governing authorities, since there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are instituted by God. |
| 2Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. | 2So then, the one who resists the authority is opposing God's command, and those who oppose it will bring judgment on themselves. |
| 3For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. | 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have its approval. |
| 4For 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. | 4For it is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, because it does not carry the sword for no reason. For it is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. |
| 5Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. | 5Therefore, you must submit, not only because of wrath but also because of your conscience. |
| 6For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. | 6And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God's servants, continually attending to these tasks. |
| 7Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor. | 7Pay your obligations to everyone: taxes to those you owe taxes, tolls to those you owe tolls, respect to those you owe respect, and honor to those you owe honor. |
| 8Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. | 8Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. |
| 9For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” | 9The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal; do not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself. |
| 10Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. | 10Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law. |
| 11And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. | 11Besides this, since you know the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, because now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. |
| 12The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. | 12The night is nearly over, and the day is near; so let us discard the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. |
| 13Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. | 13Let us walk with decency, as in the daytime: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. |
| 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts. | 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and don't make plans to gratify the desires of the flesh. |
| The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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