43 Bible Verses about Civil authorities

Jesus answered, Thou hadst no authority whatever against me if it were not given to thee from above. On this account he that has delivered me up to thee has the greater sin.

Let every soul be subject to the authorities that are above him. For there is no authority except from God; and those that exist are set up by God.

And as Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah answered him, Behold the man of whom I spoke to thee! this man shall rule over my people.

And Jehovah 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 Bethlehemite; for I have provided me a king among his sons.

And he chose David his servant, and took him from the sheepfolds: From following the suckling-ewes, he brought him to feed Jacob his people, and Israel his inheritance.

By me kings reign, and rulers make just decrees; by me princes rule, and nobles, all the judges of the earth.

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

and say unto them, Thus saith Jehovah 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 which I have hidden, and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.

And it is he that changeth times and seasons; He deposeth kings, and setteth up kings; He giveth wisdom to the wise, And knowledge to them that know understanding.

This sentence is by the decree of the watchers, and the decision by the word of the holy ones: that the living may know that the Most High ruleth over 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 the kingdom, and greatness, and glory, and majesty; and for the greatness that he gave him, all peoples, 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 exalted, and whom he would he humbled. But when his heart was lifted up, and his spirit hardened unto presumption, he was deposed from the throne of his kingdom, 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 bathed with the dew of heaven; till he knew that the Most High God ruleth over the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will.

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

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

behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith Jehovah, and I will send to Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual wastes.

For on this account ye pay tribute also; for they are God's officers, attending continually on this very thing.

It is joy to a righteous man to do what is right; but it is ruin for the workers of iniquity.

Be in subjection therefore to every human institution for the Lord's sake; whether to the king as supreme, or to rulers as sent by him, for vengeance on evildoers, and praise to them that do well.

Whoso sheddeth Man's blood, by Man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God he hath made Man.

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

For he will deliver the needy who crieth, and the afflicted, who hath no helper; He will have compassion on the poor and needy, and will save the souls of the needy: He will redeem their souls from oppression and violence, and precious shall their blood be in his sight.

And he fed them according to the integrity of his heart, and led them by the skilfulness of his hands.

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

A king by just judgment establisheth the land; but he that taketh gifts overthroweth it.

If then I have done any wrong and committed anything worthy of death, I do not deprecate dying; but if there is nothing of those things of which they accuse me, no man can give me up to them. I appeal to Caesar.

For rulers are not a terror to a good work, but to an evil one. Dost thou desire then not to be afraid of the authority? practise what is good, and thou shalt have praise from it; for it is God's minister to thee for good. But if thou practisest evil, fear; for it bears not the sword in vain; for it is God's minister, an avenger for wrath to him that does evil.

for kings and all that are in dignity, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all piety and gravity;

My son, fear Jehovah and the king: 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 rulers, to authorities, to be obedient to rule, to be ready to do every good work,

And when they came to Capernaum, those who received the didrachmas came to Peter and said, Does your teacher not pay the didrachmas? He says, Yes. And when he came into the house, Jesus anticipated him, saying, What dost thou think, Simon? the kings of the earth, from whom do they receive custom or tribute? from their own sons or from strangers? Peter says to him, From strangers. Jesus said to him, Then are the sons free.read more.
But that we may not be an offence to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when thou hast opened its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and thee.

Then went the Pharisees and held a council how they might ensnare him in speaking. And they send out to him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Teacher, we know that thou art true and teachest the way of God in truth, and carest not for any one, for thou regardest not men's person; tell us therefore what thou thinkest: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?read more.
But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, Why tempt ye me, hypocrites? Shew me the money of the tribute. And they presented to him a denarius. And he says to them, Whose is this image and superscription? They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

And they send to him certain of the Pharisees and of the Herodians, that they might catch him in speaking. And they come and say to him, Teacher, we know that thou art true, and carest not for any one; for thou regardest not men's person, but teachest the way of God with truth: Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not? Should we give, or should we not give? But he knowing their hypocrisy said unto them, Why tempt ye me? Bring me a denarius that I may see it.read more.
And they brought it. And he says to them, Whose is this image and superscription? And they said to him, Caesar's. And Jesus answering said to them, Pay what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they wondered at him.

And having watched him, they sent out suborned persons, pretending to be just men, that they might take hold of him in his language, so that they might deliver him up to the power and authority of the governor. And they asked him saying, Teacher, we know that thou sayest and teachest rightly, and acceptest no man's person, but teachest with truth the way of God: Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?read more.
But perceiving their deceit he said to them, Why do ye tempt me? Shew me a denarius. Whose image and superscription has it? And answering they said, Caesar's. And he said to them, Pay therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

But Peter answering, and the apostles, said, God must be obeyed rather than men.

But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt had said to 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, for it is near, by the side of my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; if it seem good to thee, I will give thee its value in money. And Naboth said to Ahab, Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee!

And Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not pollute himself with the king's delicate food, nor with the wine which he drank; and he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not have to pollute himself.

Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants who trusted in him, and who 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 prefects, and the satraps, the counsellors, and the governors have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except 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 be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked. Therefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.read more.
And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and, his windows being open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled on his knees three times a day, and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

They say to him, Caesar's. Then he says to them, Pay then what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

And Jesus answering said to them, Pay what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God. And they wondered at him.

And he said to them, Pay therefore what is Caesar's to Caesar, and what is God's to God.

But Peter and John answering said to them, If it be righteous before God to listen to you rather than to God, judge ye;

By faith Moses, being born, was hid three months by his parents, because they saw the child beautiful; and they did not fear the injunction of the king.