Romans 13

1Every person must submit to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been put in place by God.

2So whoever resists the authority opposes what God has appointed, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.

3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to have no fear of the one in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval.

4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who does wrong.

5Therefore it is necessary to submit, not only because of wrath but also for the sake of conscience.

6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s ministers, devoted to this very work.

7Pay to all what you owe 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.

8Owe no one anything except to love one another, for whoever loves another person has fulfilled the law.

9For the commandments, “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one statement: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

10Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11And do this because you know the time: the hour has already come for you to wake up from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

12The night is nearly over; the day is near. So let us put aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

13Let us live decently, as in the daytime, not in wild partying and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in strife and jealousy.

14Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh to gratify its desires.