Love, Our Primary Duty

Do not owe anyone anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.(A) The commandments, Do not commit adultery; do not murder; do not steal;[a] do not covet;[b](B) and any other commandment, are summed up by this commandment: Love your neighbor as yourself.[c](C) 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.

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Footnotes

  1. 13:9 Other mss add do not bear false witness
  2. 13:9 Ex 20:13–17; Dt 5:17–21
  3. 13:9 Lv 19:18

Exhortation to Love Neighbors

Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For the commandments,[a]Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,[b] (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”[c] 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 13:9 tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).
  2. Romans 13:9 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.
  3. Romans 13:9 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.