29 Bible Verses about Citizenship

And the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and another named Puah; and he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women and see the sex, if it is a son, then ye shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them but gave the men children their lives.read more.
And the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing and have given the men children their lives? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women, for they are lively and are delivered before the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses.

Then they answered Joshua, saying, All that thou hast commanded us we will do, and wherever thou dost send us, we will go. According as we hearkened unto Moses in all things, so will we hearken unto thee; only let the LORD thy God be with thee, as he was with Moses.

Now, therefore, behold the king whom ye have chosen and whom ye have desired! Behold, the LORD has set a king over you. If ye will fear the LORD and serve him and hear his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigns over you continue following the LORD your God. But if ye will not hear the voice of the LORD but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD shall be against you as it was against your fathers.

And whoever will not do the law of thy God and the law of the king, let them be judged speedily, whether it be unto death or to banishment or to confiscation of goods or to imprisonment.

I counsel thee to keep the king's commandment and the word of the covenant that thou hast made with God.

And there were some that said, We have borrowed money for the king's tribute, and that upon our lands and vineyards. Yet now, given that the flesh of our brethren is as our flesh and their sons as our sons, behold, we subject our sons and our daughters to slavery, and there are some of our daughters in bondage already; neither is it in our power to redeem them; for other men have our lands and vineyards. And I was very angry when I heard their cry and these words.read more.
Then I meditated unto myself, and I rebuked the principals and the rulers and said unto them, Does each one of you exact usury of his brother? And I set a great assembly against them. And I said unto them, We after our ability have redeemed our brethren, the Jews who had been sold unto the Gentiles; and will ye even sell your brethren? And shall they be sold unto us? Then they remained silent, for they had nothing to answer. Also I said, What you do is not good, do you not walk in the fear of our God, that ye not be the reproach of our enemies the Gentiles? I, likewise, and my brethren and my servants, have lent them money and grain; let us now release them from this burden. Restore, I pray you, to them, today, their lands, their vineyards, their oliveyards, and their houses, and even the hundredth part of the money, and of the grain, the wine, and the oil, that ye exact of them. Then they said, We will return it and will require nothing of them; so we will do as thou sayest. Then I called the priests and caused them to sware that they should do according to this promise. Also I shook my lap and said, Thus will God shake out each man from his house and from his labour, that does not perform this promise, even thus shall he be shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen, and praised the LORD. And the people did according to this promise.

that our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in nor going out; that there be no shout of alarm in our streets.

By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted, but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.

Whosoever keeps the law is a wise son, but he that is a companion of gluttons shames his father.

Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem and see now and find out and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that execute judgment, that seek the truth; and I will pardon the city.

O the hope of Israel, the Keeper thereof in time of trouble, why should thou be as a stranger in the land and as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry for a night?

Thus hath the LORD of the hosts the God of Israel said, unto all that are carried away captives, whom I have caused to be carried away from Jerusalem unto Babylon, Build houses and dwell in them; and plant gardens and eat the fruit of them; take wives and beget sons and daughters; give wives unto your sons and give husbands unto your daughters, that they may bear sons and daughters; that ye may be multiplied there and not diminished.read more.
And seek the peace of the city where I have caused you to be carried away captives, and pray unto the LORD for it; for in the peace thereof shall ye have peace.

Therefore thus hath the Lord GOD said: Because I multiplied you more than the Gentiles that are round about you, ye have not walked in my commandments, neither have ye kept my judgments. Ye have not even acted according to the judgments of the Gentiles that are round about you.

Nebuchadnezzar the king made a statue of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the great ones, the assistants and captains, the judges, the treasurers, those of the council, presidents, and all the governors of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the statue which Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up. Then the great ones, the assistants and captains, the judges, the treasurers, those of the council, presidents, and all the governors of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up.read more.
Then a herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that when ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and of every musical instrument, ye are to fall down and worship the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king has raised up: and whoever does not fall down and worship shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and every musical instrument, all the peoples, nations, and languages, fell down and worshipped the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up. Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. They spoke and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. Thou, O king, hast made a law that every man upon hearing the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and every musical instrument, shall fall down and worship the statue of gold; and whoever does not fall down and worship that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee; they do not worship thy gods, nor do they worship the statue of gold which thou hast raised up. Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king. Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that ye do not honour my gods, nor worship the statue of gold which I have set up? Now, are ye ready when ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and of every musical instrument to fall down and worship the statue which I made? For if ye do not worship, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that god that shall deliver you out of my hands? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, We are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Behold, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not worship thy god, nor honour the statue which thou hast raised up. Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; therefore he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was customary to be heated. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their undergarments, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished, and rose up in haste and spoke and said unto his counsellors, Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king. He answered and said, Behold, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth and come here. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the great ones, the governors and the captains and the king's counsellors gathered together to see these men upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was a hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them. Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of these, of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants that trusted in him and have changed the king's word and yielded their bodies that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, or language which speak blasphemy against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill because there is no other god that can deliver after this sort. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reign, I Daniel saw diligently in the books the number of the years, of which the LORD spoke unto Jeremiah the prophet, which would conclude the desolation of Jerusalem in seventy years. And I turned my face unto the Lord God, seeking him in prayer and supplication, in fasting and sackcloth, and ashes:read more.
and I prayed unto the LORD my God and made my confession and said, Now O Lord, thou great God who is worthy to be feared, who keeps the covenant and the mercy with those that love thee and keep thy commandments; we have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly, and we have been rebels, and we have departed from thy commandments and from thy judgments. We have not hearkened unto thy slaves the prophets, who spoke in thy name to our kings and to our princes, to our fathers, and to all the people of the land. O Lord, the righteousness belongs unto thee, but unto us the confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near and that are far off through all the lands where thou hast driven them because of their rebellion with which they have rebelled against thee. O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. Of the Lord our God is the ability to have mercy and to forgive, even though we have rebelled against him and have not listened to the voice of the LORD our God to walk by his laws, which he set before us by the hand of his slaves the prophets. And all Israel transposed thy law, departing by not hearing thy voice; by which the curse has fallen upon us and the oath that is written in the law of Moses, the slave of God, because we have sinned against him. And he has confirmed his words, which he spoke over us and over our judges that governed us, by bringing upon us such a great evil: that such has never been done under the whole heaven as has been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us, and we never sought the face of the LORD our God, that we might be converted from our iniquities, and understand thy truth. And the LORD hastened upon the chastisement and brought it upon us: for the LORD our God is just in all his works which he has done, for we did not listen to his voice. And now, O Lord our God, who hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and hast won for thyself a very clear name as appears unto this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and all thy people is given in reproach to all that are about us. Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy slave and his supplications and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is made desolate, by the Lord. O my God, incline thine ear and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee confiding in our righteousnesses, but in thy many mercies. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea and cast a hook and take up the first fish that comes up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a stater, a coin worth four drachmas; take that, and give it unto them for me and thee.

They say unto him, Caesar's. Then said he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things that are God's.

And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither dost thou accept the person of any, but teachest the way of God with truth; Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar or no? But he, perceiving their craftiness, said unto them, Why tempt ye me?read more.
Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have? They answered and said, Caesar's. And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's and unto God the things which are God's.

And when they came to Jesus, they besought him instantly, saying, That he is worthy that this should be done for him, for he loves our nation and he has built us a synagogue.

And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison made these words known unto Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go; now therefore depart and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out in secret? no indeed; but let them come themselves and fetch us out.read more.
And the sergeants returned and told these words unto the magistrates; and they feared when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and bringing them out, asked them to depart out of the city.

the tribunal commanded him to be brought into the fortress and bade that he should be examined by scourging that he might know why they cried out so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the tribunal, saying, Take heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman.read more.
Then the tribunal came and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yes. And the tribunal answered, With a great sum I obtained this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway those who should have tormented him departed from him, and the tribunal was also afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman and because he had bound him.

Let every soul submit itself to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God, and the powers that be are ordained of God.

Admonish them to be subject to dominion and power, and to persuade those who have authority, that they be quick unto every good work.

Therefore, be subject to every human ordinance that is of the Lord, whether it be to a king or to a superior, and unto governors as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those that do well.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from the carnal desires which war against the soul

Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and integrity. For this is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Saviour,read more.
who desires that all men be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth.

Therefore, be subject to every human ordinance that is of the Lord, whether it be to a king or to a superior, and unto governors as unto those that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those that do well. For this is the will of God, that in well doing ye may silence the ignorance of vain men,read more.
as being free, yet not using your liberty to cover maliciousness, but as slaves of God. Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

And there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean or that works abomination or makes a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's book of life.