¹⁹ Do not take revenge,^(A) my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,”^[a](B) says the Lord.

⁴ For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.^(A)