Romans 13:4 — Bible Verse (KJV)

“For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.”

Romans 13:4 — King James Version (KJV), 1611

Romans 13:4 in 6 Bible Translations

Read Romans 13:4 in the King James Version (KJV) and 5 other free, public-domain translations side by side.

Romans 13:4 WEB — World English Bible (2000)

“for he is a servant of God to you for good. But if you do that which is evil, be afraid, for he doesn’t bear the sword in vain; for he is a servant of God, an avenger for wrath to him who does evil.”

Romans 13:4 — World English Bible

Romans 13:4 ASV — American Standard Version (1901)

“for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. ”

Romans 13:4 — American Standard Version

Romans 13:4 YLT — Young's Literal Translation (1862)

“for of God it is a ministrant to thee for good; and if that which is evil thou mayest do, be fearing, for not in vain doth it bear the sword; for of God it is a ministrant, an avenger for wrath to him who is doing that which is evil.”

Romans 13:4 — Young's Literal Translation

Romans 13:4 DBY — Darby Translation (1890)

“for it isGod's minister to thee for good. But if thou practisest evil, fear; for it bears not the sword in vain; for it isGod's minister, an avenger for wrath to him that does evil. ”

Romans 13:4 — Darby Translation

Romans 13:4 GEN — Geneva Bible (1599)

“For he is ye minister of God for thy wealth, but if thou do euill, feare: for he beareth not the sworde for nought: for he is the minister of God to take vengeance on him that doeth euill.”

Romans 13:4 — Geneva Bible

Romans 13:4 in Context — Romans 13

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.

6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.

Read the full chapter: Romans 13 →

What Does Romans 13:4 Mean?

Romans 13:4 is a verse from the Book of Romans, part of the New Testament. It appears in Romans chapter 13. Use The Living Sword's word-by-word study mode to explore every word in the original Greek.

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