Vergeltung

Etymology
From.

Noun

 * 1) requital; reciprocation; payback the act of treating someone according to how they treated someone else
 * 2)  retribution; retaliation requital for a bad deed
 * 3)  reward; recompense requital for a good deed

Usage notes

 * (in the negative sense) is distinct from in that there is an element of objective justice (rather than just personal, emotional justice), i.e. the requital is seen as a socially and morally justified means of punishment and restraint. German does not have the additional, somewhat vague distinction between “retribution” and “retaliation” (with the latter being, in English, a medium between retribution and revenge).