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because it is God’s servant for your well-being. But be afraid if you do wrong because government[a] does not bear the sword for nothing. It is God’s servant to administer punishment on the person who does wrong. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities[b] but also because of your conscience.[c] For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities[d] are God’s servants devoted to governing.[e]

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 13:4 tn Grk “it.”
  2. Romans 13:5 tn Grk “its wrath”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  3. Romans 13:5 tn Grk “because of (the) conscience,” but the English possessive “your” helps to show whose conscience the context implies.
  4. Romans 13:6 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the governing authorities) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
  5. Romans 13:6 tn Grk “devoted to this very thing.”