Romans 13:4
New Living Translation
4 The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong.
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Romans 12:19
New Living Translation
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say,
“I will take revenge;
I will pay them back,”[a]
says the Lord.
Footnotes
Proverbs 20:2
New Living Translation
2 The king’s fury is like a lion’s roar;
to rouse his anger is to risk your life.
Proverbs 16:14
New Living Translation
14 The anger of the king is a deadly threat;
the wise will try to appease it.
2 Chronicles 19:6
New Living Translation
6 and he said to them, “Always think carefully before pronouncing judgment. Remember that you do not judge to please people but to please the Lord. He will be with you when you render the verdict in each case.
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1 Thessalonians 4:6
New Living Translation
6 Never harm or cheat a fellow believer in this matter by violating his wife,[a] for the Lord avenges all such sins, as we have solemnly warned you before.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 4:6 Greek Never harm or cheat a brother in this matter.
Romans 13:6
New Living Translation
6 Pay your taxes, too, for these same reasons. For government workers need to be paid. They are serving God in what they do.
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Micah 3:1-4
New Living Translation
Judgment against Israel’s Leaders
3 I said, “Listen, you leaders of Israel!
You are supposed to know right from wrong,
2 but you are the very ones
who hate good and love evil.
You skin my people alive
and tear the flesh from their bones.
3 Yes, you eat my people’s flesh,
strip off their skin,
and break their bones.
You chop them up
like meat for the cooking pot.
4 Then you beg the Lord for help in times of trouble!
Do you really expect him to answer?
After all the evil you have done,
he won’t even look at you!”
Proverbs 24:23-24
New Living Translation
More Sayings of the Wise
23 Here are some further sayings of the wise:
It is wrong to show favoritism when passing judgment.
24 A judge who says to the wicked, “You are innocent,”
will be cursed by many people and denounced by the nations.
Psalm 82:2-4
New Living Translation
2 “How long will you hand down unjust decisions
by favoring the wicked? Interlude
3 “Give justice to the poor and the orphan;
uphold the rights of the oppressed and the destitute.
4 Rescue the poor and helpless;
deliver them from the grasp of evil people.
Micah 3:9
New Living Translation
9 Listen to me, you leaders of Israel!
You hate justice and twist all that is right.
Ezekiel 25:14
New Living Translation
14 I will accomplish this by the hand of my people of Israel. They will carry out my vengeance with anger, and Edom will know that this vengeance is from me. I, the Sovereign Lord, have spoken!
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Ezekiel 22:27
New Living Translation
27 Your leaders are like wolves who tear apart their victims. They actually destroy people’s lives for money!
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Jeremiah 5:28
New Living Translation
28 They are fat and sleek,
and there is no limit to their wicked deeds.
They refuse to provide justice to orphans
and deny the rights of the poor.
Isaiah 1:17
New Living Translation
17 Learn to do good.
Seek justice.
Help the oppressed.
Defend the cause of orphans.
Fight for the rights of widows.
Ecclesiastes 8:2-5
New Living Translation
Obedience to the King
2 Obey the king since you vowed to God that you would. 3 Don’t try to avoid doing your duty, and don’t stand with those who plot evil, for the king can do whatever he wants. 4 His command is backed by great power. No one can resist or question it. 5 Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right,
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Proverbs 31:8-9
New Living Translation
8 Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
9 Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 20:26
New Living Translation
26 A wise king scatters the wicked like wheat,
then runs his threshing wheel over them.
Proverbs 20:8
New Living Translation
8 When a king sits in judgment, he weighs all the evidence,
distinguishing the bad from the good.
1 Kings 10:9
New Living Translation
9 Praise the Lord your God, who delights in you and has placed you on the throne of Israel. Because of the Lord’s eternal love for Israel, he has made you king so you can rule with justice and righteousness.”
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Joshua 20:9
New Living Translation
9 These cities were set apart for all the Israelites as well as the foreigners living among them. Anyone who accidentally killed another person could take refuge in one of these cities. In this way, they could escape being killed in revenge prior to standing trial before the local assembly.
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Numbers 35:19-27
New Living Translation
19 The victim’s nearest relative is responsible for putting the murderer to death. When they meet, the avenger must put the murderer to death. 20 So if someone hates another person and waits in ambush, then pushes him or throws something at him and he dies, it is murder. 21 Or if someone hates another person and hits him with a fist and he dies, it is murder. In such cases, the avenger must put the murderer to death when they meet.
22 “But suppose someone pushes another person without having shown previous hostility, or throws something that unintentionally hits another person, 23 or accidentally drops a huge stone on someone, though they were not enemies, and the person dies. 24 If this should happen, the community must follow these regulations in making a judgment between the slayer and the avenger, the victim’s nearest relative: 25 The community must protect the slayer from the avenger and must escort the slayer back to live in the city of refuge to which he fled. There he must remain until the death of the high priest, who was anointed with the sacred oil.
26 “But if the slayer ever leaves the limits of the city of refuge, 27 and the avenger finds him outside the city and kills him, it will not be considered murder.
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Joshua 20:5
New Living Translation
5 If the relatives of the victim come to avenge the killing, the leaders must not release the slayer to them, for he killed the other person unintentionally and without previous hostility.
Read full chapterHoly Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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