New Revised Standard NRS
The Bible in Basic English BBE
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.
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Let everyone put himself under the authority of the higher powers, because there is no power which is not of God, and all powers are ordered by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists authority resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
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For which reason everyone who puts himself against the authority puts himself against the order of God: and those who are against it will get punishment for themselves.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you wish to have no fear of the authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive its approval;
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For rulers are not a cause of fear to the good work but to the evil. If you would have no fear of the authority, do good and you will have praise;
4 for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for the authority does not bear the sword in vain! It is the servant of God to execute wrath on the wrongdoer.
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For he is the servant of God to you for good. But if you do evil, have fear; for the sword is not in his hand for nothing: he is God's servant, making God's punishment come on the evil-doer.
5 Therefore one must be subject, not only because of wrath but also because of conscience.
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So put yourselves under the authority, not for fear of wrath, but because you have the knowledge of what is right.
6 For the same reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, busy with this very thing.
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For the same reason, make payment of taxes; because the authority is God's servant, to take care of such things at all times.
7 Pay to all what is due them—taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
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Give to all what is their right: taxes to him whose they are, payment to him whose right it is, fear to whom fear, honour to whom honour is to be given.
8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.
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Be in debt for nothing, but to have love for one another: for he who has love for his neighbour has kept all the law.
9 The commandments, "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 word, "Love your neighbor as yourself."
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And this, Do not be untrue in married life, Do not put to death, Do not take what is another's, Do not have desire for what is another's, and if there is any other order, it is covered by this word, Have love for your neighbour as for yourself.
10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.
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Love does no wrong to his neighbour, so love makes the law complete.
11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;
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See then that the time has come for you to be awake from sleep: for now is your salvation nearer than when you first had faith.
12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;
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The night is far gone, and the day is near: so let us put off the works of the dark, arming ourselves with light,
13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.
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With right behaviour as in the day; not in pleasure-making and drinking, not in bad company and unclean behaviour, not in fighting and envy.
14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.
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But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not give thought to the flesh to do its desires.
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Bible in Basic English is in the public domain.