| International Standard Version | Holman Christian Standard 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 to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God, and those that exist are instituted by God. |
| 2so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, 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 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 authority? Do what is good, and you will have its 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 government 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 government is God's servant, an avenger that brings wrath on the one who does wrong. |
| 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, you must submit, not only because of wrath, but also because of your conscience. |
| 6This is also why you pay taxes. For rulers are God's servants faithfully devoting themselves to their work. | 6And for this reason you pay taxes, since the authorities are God's public servants, continually attending to these tasks. |
| 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 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. |
| 8Do not owe anyone anything—except to love one another. For the one 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 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 whatever other commandment--all are summed up by this: 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 a neighbor. Love, therefore, 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. | 11Besides this, knowing the time, it is already the hour for you to wake up from sleep, for now our salvation is nearer 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, and the daylight is near, so let us discard 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 walk with decency, as in the daylight: not in carousing and drunkenness; not in sexual impurity and promiscuity; not in quarreling and jealousy. |
| 14Instead, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and do not obey your flesh and its desires. | 14But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no plans to satisfy the fleshly desires. |
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