For he is God’s servant working for your own good is literally “for he is God’s servant to you for good” (see King James Version). The New English Bible has essentially the same meaning, except for the use of the plural in place of the singular (“they are God’s agents working for your good”; see also An American Translation*). The New American Bible has “the ruler is God’s servant to work for your good”; while the Jerusalem Bible states this same meaning in different words: “the state is there to serve God for your benefit.” In some instances the most convenient way of translating for your own good may be “in order to help you” or “in order to cause good for you.”
His power to punish is real translates a metaphor which is maintained by most translations: “for he does not bear the sword in vain” (Revised Standard Version). In this verse “the sword” is a symbol of the government official’s power to punish, and the adverb “in vain” must be taken with the meaning of “without the power to use it.” However, it is doubtful that most readers will see this meaning in the metaphor, and so it is perhaps better either to employ a nonmetaphor or to look for an equivalent figure of speech in the receptor language. The Greek expression “for he does not bear the sword in vain” is rendered in some languages as “it is not for nothing that he has that power.” In other languages one may have “he has that power and he uses it” or “he is able to punish and he does.” In this way one may indicate clearly that the power is real.
God’s wrath is literally “his wrath,” but the reference is clearly to God’s wrath, and many translations make this fact explicit (Jerusalem Bible “they carry out God’s revenge”; Moffatt “for the infliction of divine vengeance”; Phillips “to inflict God’s punishment”). It is not always easy to render adequately the idea of carrying out God’s purpose (or wrath) in inflicting punishment. In some languages this may be equivalent to “may act as God’s messengers in causing people who do evil to suffer,” or “on God’s behalf they judge people and cause those who do evil to suffer.” It is normally important to indicate in such contexts as these that punishment is related to official judgment and not to personal revenge or violent retaliation.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on Paul’s Letter to the Romans. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1973. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .