43 Bible Verses about Civil authorities

Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power against me; except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me to thee hath the greater sin.

Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but from God: the powers that are, are ordained by God.

And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said to him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this same shall reign over my people.

And the LORD said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thy horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons.

He chose David also his servant, and took him from the sheep-folds: From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

By me kings reign, and princes decree justice. By me princes rule, and nobles, even all the judges of the earth.

And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.

And say to them, Thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne upon these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

And he changeth the times and the seasons; he removeth kings, and setteth up kings; he giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:

This matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones: to the intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of men.

O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honor: And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and whom he would he put down. But when his heart was lifted up, and his mind hardened in pride, he was deposed from his kingly throne, and they took his glory from him:read more.
And he was driven from the sons of men; and his heart was made like the beasts, and his dwelling was with the wild asses: they fed him with grass like oxen, and his body was wet with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the most high God ruleth in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

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

Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two-leaved gates, and the gates shall not be shut;

Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against its inhabitants, and against all these nations around, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations.

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

It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.

Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether to the king, as supreme; Or to governors, as to them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil-doers, and for the praise of them that do well.

Whoever sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

And whoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.

For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall be their blood in his sight.

So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

The king's wrath is as the roaring of a lion; but his favor is as dew upon the grass.

The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

For if I am an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there is none of these things of which these accuse me, no man may deliver me to them. I appeal to Cesar.

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 from the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou doest that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, an avenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change: For their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both?

Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work,

And when they had come to Capernaum, they that received tribute-money, came to Peter, and said, Doth not your Master pay tribute? He saith, Yes. And when he had come into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? from whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? from their own children, or from strangers? Peter saith to him, From strangers. Jesus saith to him, Then are the children free.read more.
Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast a hook, and take the fish that first cometh up: and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: take that, and give to them for me and thee.

Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel how they might entangle him in his talk. And they sent out to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute to Cesar, or not?read more.
But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites? Show me the tribute-money. And they brought to him a penny. And he saith to them, Whose is this image, and superscription? They say to him, Cesar's. Then saith he to them, Render therefore to Cesar, the things which are Cesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.

And they sent to him certain of the Pharisees, and of the Herodians, to catch him in his words. And when they had come, they say to him, Master, we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Cesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny, that I may see it.read more.
And they brought it: and he saith to them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said to him, Cesar's. And Jesus answering, said to them, Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they wondered at him.

And they watched him, and sent forth spies, who should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him to the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him, saying, Master, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, neither acceptest thou the person of any, but teachest the way of God truly: Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Cesar, or not?read more.
But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, Why tempt ye me? Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Cesar's. And he said to them, Render therefore to Cesar the things which are Cesar's, and to God the things which are God's.

Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male-children alive.

And Ahab spoke to Naboth, saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, because it is near to my house: and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; or if it seemeth good to thee, I will give thee the worth of it in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee.

But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's food, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Then Nebuchadnezzar spoke, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath 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.

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counselors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.read more.
Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber towards Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did before.

They say to him, Cesar's. Then saith he to them, Render therefore to Cesar, the things which are Cesar's; and to God, the things that are God's.

And Jesus answering, said to them, Render to Cesar the things that are Cesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they wondered at him.

And he said to them, Render therefore to Cesar the things which are Cesar's, and to God the things which are God's.

But Peter and John answered and said to them, Whether it is right in the sight of God to hearken to you rather than to God, judge ye.

By faith Moses when he was born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.