The New Testament

The New Testament › Romans

Romans 13

1Let every soul submit to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been appointed by God. 2So whoever resists authority has opposed God's arrangement, and those who oppose it will receive judgment on themselves. 3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct but to evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do good, and you will have praise from it, 4for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do evil, be afraid, for it does not carry the sword for nothing. It is God's servant, an avenger bringing wrath on the one who practices evil. 5Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience. 6For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's public servants, attending to this very thing. 7Pay everyone what you owe: tax to the one owed tax, toll to the one owed toll, fear to the one owed fear, honor to the one owed honor.

8Owe no one anything except to love one another, for whoever loves the other person has fulfilled the law. 9For “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 saying: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 10Love does no evil to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11And do this knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to wake from sleep, for our salvation is nearer now than when we believed. 12The night is far advanced, and the day has drawn near. So let us throw off the deeds of darkness and put on the weapons of light. 13Let us walk properly, as in daytime, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in sexual indulgence and shamelessness, not in strife and jealousy. 14But put on the Lord Jesus the Messiah, and make no provision for the flesh to satisfy its desires.

Translation notes 4

13:1–5 — Authorities and judgment. “Every soul” means every person. The passage presents government as accountable to God and directed toward good; the translation preserves its strong assertions without adding qualifications or turning them into an unrestricted command to obey every possible order. “Servant” here names the governing authority's function, not an assembly office. “Sword” retains the image of coercive power.

13:6–7 — Taxes and obligations. “Public servants” renders a different Greek word from “servant” in verse 4. “Toll” can also be “customs duty.” The repeated “fear” is not replaced by a different word solely to smooth the passage; here it concerns the regard owed to authority.

13:8–10 — Love and debt. The language of what is owed continues from verse 7 into the continuing obligation to love. Paul quotes the commandments in this order; another familiar commandment is not inserted into the list.

13:11–14 — Waking and clothing. “Do this” is supplied to connect the appeal with the preceding instructions. The base reads “you” in verse 11, where some texts read “us.” “Weapons” can also mean armor; both belong to the military image. “Put on” is retained for both the weapons and the Lord. “Flesh” is not replaced with a theological definition such as sinful nature.