Submission to Governing Authorities

13 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities,^(A) for there is no authority except that which God has established.^(B) The authorities that exist have been established by God.

¹¹ Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.^(A) Therefore the one who handed me over to you^(B) is guilty of a greater sin.”

³³ When they heard this, they were furious^(A) and wanted to put them to death. ³⁴ But a Pharisee named Gamaliel,^(B) a teacher of the law,^(C) who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. ³⁵ Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. ³⁶ Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. ³⁷ After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census^(D) and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. ³⁸ Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.^{(E) 39} But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”^(F)

⁴⁰ His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged.^(G) Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go.

²¹ On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. ²² They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man.” ²³ Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel^(A) of the Lord struck him down,^(B) and he was eaten by worms and died.

¹⁵ who are standing here with us today in the presence of the Lord our God but also with those who are not here today.^(A)

¹⁶ You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. ¹⁷ You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold.^{(B) 18} Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns^(C) away from the Lord our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.^(D)

¹⁹ When such a person hears the words of this oath and they invoke a blessing^(E) on themselves, thinking, “I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way,”^(F) they will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. ²⁰ The Lord will never be willing to forgive^(G) them; his wrath and zeal^(H) will burn^(I) against them. All the curses written in this book will fall on them, and the Lord will blot^(J) out their names from under heaven. ²¹ The Lord will single them out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster,^(K) according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.^(L)

²² Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the Lord has afflicted it.^{(M) 23} The whole land will be a burning waste^(N) of salt^(O) and sulfur—nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah,^(P) Admah and Zeboyim, which the Lord overthrew in fierce anger.^{(Q) 24} All the nations will ask: “Why has the Lord done this to this land?^(R) Why this fierce, burning anger?”

²⁵ And the answer will be: “It is because this people abandoned the covenant of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, the covenant he made with them when he brought them out of Egypt.^{(S) 26} They went off and worshiped other gods and bowed down to them, gods they did not know, gods he had not given them. ²⁷ Therefore the Lord’s anger burned against this land, so that he brought on it all the curses written in this book.^{(T) 28} In furious anger and in great wrath^(U) the Lord uprooted^(V) them from their land and thrust them into another land, as it is now.”

²⁹ The secret things belong to the Lord our God,^(W) but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.^(X)

Psalm 146