The Lord's Prayer.
The single prayer Jesus taught his disciples to pray, recorded twice in the Gospels — Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. Below, the text in five translations side by side, then a short clause-by-clause commentary on what each line is doing.
The prayer, in five translations
Modern English
ESV (Matthew 6:9–13)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Early modern
KJV (1611)
Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Anglican
Book of Common Prayer (1662)
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.
Ecumenical contemporary
ELLC (1988)
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us. Save us from the time of trial and deliver us from evil. For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours now and for ever. Amen.
Original (transliterated)
Greek
Pater hēmōn, ho en tois ouranois, hagiasthētō to onoma sou. Elthetō hē basileia sou. Genēthētō to thelēma sou, hōs en ouranō kai epi gēs. Ton arton hēmōn ton epiousion dos hēmin sēmeron. Kai aphes hēmin ta opheilēmata hēmōn, hōs kai hēmeis aphiomen tois opheiletais hēmōn. Kai mē eisenenkēs hēmas eis peirasmon, alla rusai hēmas apo tou ponērou.
A short history
Jesus gives the prayer in Matthew 6:9–13, set within the Sermon on the Mount, after he warns his disciples against the ostentatious praying of the religious leaders. A shorter version appears in Luke 11:2–4, given in response to a disciple's request, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples."
The doxology — "for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory" — is not in the earliest Greek manuscripts of Matthew. It was added in liturgical use very early (the Didache, written by AD 100, already includes it), and it became part of the prayer as recited in worship. Modern Catholic and most modern Protestant Bibles omit it from the Matthew text; the doxology is recovered when the prayer is said in church.
Clause by clause
Our Father in heaven
The address is paternal and corporate — "our," not "my." Jesus invites the disciples to address the God of Israel with the intimate Aramaic Abba. The "in heaven" reminds the speaker that this Father is also the transcendent God of the cosmos.
Hallowed be your name
"Hallowed" means set apart as holy. The petition asks that God's name — meaning his reputation, his character — be honoured in the world. It is the first petition because nothing else matters if this is not asked first.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven
A prayer for God's rule to break into the present world the way it already governs heaven. Not escapist — it asks God to act here, in this life, in the way the angels already obey him there.
Give us this day our daily bread
The Greek word epiousios ("daily") appears only here in the whole New Testament; its exact meaning is debated. Most likely it means "for the coming day" or "needful." The prayer asks for enough — not abundance, not security — just the bread of today.
Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors
Sins are spoken of as debts owed to God. The petition couples receiving forgiveness with extending it. Jesus immediately glosses this line (Matthew 6:14–15) — it is the only clause he comments on directly.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
Better translated "do not bring us to the testing." The prayer asks God to spare his people from the kind of trial that would break their faith, and to rescue them from the evil one. Pope Francis suggested in 2017 that "let us not fall into temptation" reads better in modern English — a translation choice rather than a doctrinal change.
FAQ
Why are there two versions in the Bible?
Matthew's account (6:9–13) is the longer one; Luke's (11:2–4) is shorter and given in a different setting. The differences likely reflect either two distinct teaching occasions or two oral traditions of the same teaching. Most Christian liturgical use draws on Matthew's longer form.
Is "debts" or "trespasses" the right word?
The Greek opheilēmata means debts. "Trespasses" became standard in English liturgy through Tyndale's translation and the Book of Common Prayer, picking up the word from the surrounding verse (Matthew 6:14, where Jesus glosses the line with "trespasses"). Both translations are defensible; "debts" is closer to the Greek of verse 12 itself.
What does "Hallowed be thy name" actually mean?
"Hallow" is Old English for "make holy." The petition asks that God's name — meaning his reputation and character — be treated as sacred. It's a prayer that the world come to honour God for who he actually is.
Why isn't the doxology in modern Bible translations?
The earliest Greek manuscripts of Matthew don't include it. It was added very early in liturgical practice (the Didache, written by AD 100, has it) and became part of the prayer as recited in worship. Modern translations follow the older manuscripts, but the doxology is restored when the prayer is said in church services.
Should I pray it daily, or is once enough?
Christian tradition has used it both ways. The Didache instructs believers to pray it three times a day; medieval and modern monastic traditions include it in the daily office; many Protestants pray it once at the start of the day. Jesus's framing ("pray then like this") suggests it's a pattern more than a magic incantation — but praying it as written, slowly, is a long-standing practice with good reason.
Related tools
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