Lord's Prayer

The Lord's Prayer (sometimes known by its first two Latin words as the Pater Noster, or the English equivalent Our Father) is probably the most well-known prayer in the Christian religion. The Lord's Prayer is excerpted from Matt 6:9-13 during the Sermon on the Mount. (A similar prayer is found on Luke 11:2-4.)

It is called the "Lord's Prayer" because it was a prayer given by Jesus Christ (ie. the "Lord") as response to a request from the Apostles for guidance on how to pray. Most Christian theologians point out that Jesus Christ would have never used this prayer himself, for it specifically asks for forgiveness of sins (or more literally for cancellation of debts), and in most schools of Christian thought, Christ never sinned. However since it says "forgive us our sins", not "forgive me my sins", Christ might have prayed it by way of identifing himself with the common plight of man and of asking for the forgiveness of the sins of his disciples.

In Greek (from which all others are translated):

Pater hêmôn ho en toes ouranoes;

hagiasthêtô to onoma sou;

elthetô hê basileia sou;

genêthêtô to thelêma sou,

hôs en ouranô, kae epi tês gês.

ton arton hêmôn ton epiousion dos hêmin sêmeron;

kae aphes hêmin ta opheilêmata hêmôn,

hôs kae hêmeis aphiemen toes opheiletaes hêmôn;

kae mê eisenenkês hêmas eis peirasmon,

alla rhysae hêmas apo tou ponerou.

hoti sou estin hê basileia kae hê dynamis kae hê doxa eis tous aeônas;

amên.

In Latin:

Pater Noster, qui es in caelis,

Sanctificetur nomen tuum.

Adveniat regnum tuum,

Fiat voluntas tua,

sicut in caelo, et in terra.

Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,

Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,

sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.

Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,

Sed libera nos a malo.

Amen.

Although numerous variations exist, this version, from the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, is a fairly well known example:

Our Father, who art in Heaven,

hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done,

on Earth, as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

for ever and ever.

Amen.

When the Lord's Prayer is recited in the Roman Catholic Mass (according to the 1969 Roman Missal), an additional section, recited by the Priest alone, is inserted before the final doxology ("For thine is the kingdom", etc.):

All.

Our Father,

who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Priest.

Deliver us, Lord, from every evil,

and grant us peace in our day.

In your mercy keep us free from sin

and protect us from all anxiety

as we wait in joyful hope

for the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

All.

For the kingdom,

the power,

and the glory are yours

now and for ever.

Catholics, when reciting the Lord's prayer, omit the doxology, since in the Mass it is separated from the rest of the prayer by the additional section.

When Eastern Orthodox Christians pray the Lord's prayer, the priest, if one is present, says a modified version of the doxology:

All.

Our Father, who art in the heavens,

hallowed be thy name;

thy kingdom come;

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

and forgive us our trespasses

as we forgive those who trespass against us;

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Priest.

For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

now and ever and unto the ages of ages.

All

Amen.

If a priest is not present, a different doxology is typically substituted and said by those present, such as Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. In the Russian practice, however, when a priest is not serving the doxology is replaced by the Jesus Prayer (Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us).

The doxology was probably not present in the original version of the prayer, but rather was added to the Gospels as a result of its use in the liturgy of the early church.

Here is a version of the Pater Noster in Croatian:

Oče naš, koji jesi na nebesima,

sveti se Ime Tvoje.

Dođi kraljevstvo Tvoje, budi volja Tvoja,

kako na Nebu, tako i na Zemlji.

Kruh naš svagdanji daj nam danas,

i otpusti nam duge naše,

kako i mi otpuštamo dužnicima našim.

i ne uvedi nas u napast,

nego izbavi nas of zla.

Amen.

Here is the standard version of the Pater Noster in German:

Vater Unser im Himmel,

Geheiligt werde Dein Name.

Dein Reich komme,

Dein Wille geschehe,

Wie im Himmel, so auf Erden.

Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute,

und vergib uns unsere Schuld,

wie auch wir vergeben unseren Schuldigern.

Und führe uns nicht in Versuchung,

sondern erlöse uns von dem Bösen.

Denn Dein ist das Reich, und die Kraft, und die Herrlichkeit,

in Ewigkeit.

Amen

Here is a version of the Pater Noster in Swedish:

Fader Vår som är i Himmelen.

Helgat varde Ditt namn.

Tillkomme Ditt Rike.

Ske Din vilja, såsom i Himmelen

så ock på Jorden.

Vårt dagliga bröd giv oss idag

Och förlåt oss våra skulder

såsom ock vi förlåta dem oss skyldiga äro

och inled oss icke i frestelse

utan fräls oss ifrån ondo.

Ty Riket är Ditt och Makten och Härligheten

i Evighet.

Amen

Here is a version of the Pater Noster in Aramaic:

Abwoon d'bwashmaya,

Nethqadash shmakh,

Teytey malkuthakh.

Nehwey tzevyanach aykanna d'bwashmaya aph b'arha.

Hawvlan lachma d'sunqanan yaomana.

Washboqlan khaubayn (wakhtahayn)

aykana daph khnan shbwoqan l'khayyabayn.

Wela tahlan l'nesyuna.

Ela patzan min bisha.

Metol dilakhie malkutha wahayla wateshbukhta l'ahlam almin.

Amen.

Gothic bishop Ulfilas wrote down the "Atta Unsar" or "Lord's Prayer" in circa 350 AD. Here is one version :

Atta unsar thu in himinam,

weihnai namo thein,

quimai thiudinassus theins,

wairthai wilja theins,

swe in himina jah ana airthai.

hlaif unsarana thana sinteinan gib uns himma daga,

jah aflet uns thatei skulans sijaima,

swaswe jah weis afletam thaim skulam unsaraim,

jah ni briggais uns in fraistubnjai,

ak lausei uns af thamma ubilin;

unte theina ist thiudangardi

jah mahts jah wulthus in aiwins.

Amen.

Older English versions of the Lord's Prayer
Dated 1611 AD.

Our father which art in heauen,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen.

Giue us this day our daily bread.

And forgiue us our debts as we forgiue our debters.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliuer us from euill.

Amen.

Dated 1384 AD.

Oure fadir þat art in heuenes halwid be þi name;

þi reume or kyngdom come to be.

Be þi wille don in herþe as it is doun in heuene.

yeue to us today oure eche dayes bred.

And foryeue to us oure dettis þat is oure synnys as we foryeuen to oure dettouris þat is to men þat han synned in us.

And lede us not into temptacion but delyuere us from euyl.

Dated circa 1000 AD.

Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum

si þin nama gehalgod

tobecume þin rice

gewurþe þin willa

on eorðan swa swa on heofonum

urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg

and forgyf us ure gyltas

swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum

and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge

ac alys us of yfele soþlice.

See also: Amen

External Link

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