The Lord's Prayer

by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

The prayer that Jesus taught his disciples, commonly known as "The Lord's Prayer" or "The Our Father," is not contained in Mark or John, but only in Matthew and Luke, and in an early second-century Christian document called "The Didache" or "The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles." The version of the Didache is very similar to that found in Matthew, but both the wording and the literary context in which the Lord's Prayer is found are quite different in Luke:

.	Matt 6:5-15 (NRSV)	Luke 11:1-13 (NRSV)	Didache 8:2-3 (ANF, vol. 7)
I n t r o	6:5-9a - "And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 6 But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9a Pray then in this way:	11:1-2a - He [Jesus] was praying in a certain place, and after he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples." / 2 He said to them, "When you pray, say:	^2a Neither pray as the hypocrites; but as the Lord commanded in His Gospel, thus pray:
P r a y e r	^9bOur Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. ¹⁰Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹Give us this day our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. [For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.]	^2bFather, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. - - ³Give us each day our daily bread. ⁴And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial. -	^2b Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth. Give us today our daily (needful) bread, and forgive us our debt as we also forgive our debtors. And bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one (or, evil); for Yours is the power and the glory for ever.
G r e e k - N T	^9bΠάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ¹⁰ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ¹¹τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· ¹²καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφίεμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· ¹³καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. [ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας·]	^2bπάτερ, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· - - ³ τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν· ⁴ καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν, καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίομεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν· καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν.	πατηρ ημων ο εν τω ουρανω, αγιασθητω το ονομα σου, ελθετω η βασιλεια σου, γενηθητω το θελημα σου ως εν ουρανω και επι γης, τον αρτον ημων τον επιουσιον δος ημιν σημερον, και αφες ημιν την οφειλην ημων, ως και ημεις αφιεμεν τοις οφειλεταις ημων, και μη εισενεγκης ημας εις πειρασμον, αλλα ρυσαι ημας απο του πονηρου, οτι σου εστιν η δυναμις και η δοξα εις τους αιωνας.
C o n t.	6:14-15 - For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; / but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.	11:5-8 - Parable of a Friend Knocking at Midnight 11:9-10 - "So I say to you, Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. / For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."	3 Thrice in the day thus pray.

The Lord's Prayer (Matthean version)
in some Ancient and Modern Translations:

Matt 6:9-10

Vulgate	Pater noster qui in caelis es	sanctificetur nomen tuum	veniat regnum tuum	fiat voluntas tua	sicut in caelo et in terra.
Roman Missal	Pater noster, qui es in caelis,	Sanctificetur nomen tuum.	Adveniat regnum tuum.	Fiat voluntas tua,	Sicut in caelo et in terra.
KJV (1611)	Our father which art in heauen,	hallowed be thy name.	Thy kingdome come.	Thy will be done,	in earth, as it is in heauen.
NRSV	Our Father in heaven,	hallowed be your name.	Your kingdom come.	Your will be done,	on earth as it is in heaven.
BCP & ICEL	Our Father in heaven,	hallowed be your Name,	your kingdom come,	your will be done,	on earth as in heaven.
Roman Missal (USA)	Our Father, who art in heaven,	Hallowed be thy Name.	Thy kingdom come.	Thy will be done,	On earth as it is in heaven.
Misale Romano (Mexico)	Padre nuestro que estás en el cielo,	santificado sea tu Nombre;	venga a nosotros tu Reino;	hágase tu voluntad	en la tierra como en el cielo.
Messbuch (Germany)	Vater unser im Himmel,	geheiligt werde dein Name.	Dein Reich komme.	Dein Wille geschehe,	wie im Himmel so auf Erden.

Matt 6:11-12

Vulgate	panem nostrum supersubstantialem da nobis hodie	et dimitte nobis debita nostra	sicut et nos dimisimus debitoribus nostris
Roman Missal	Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie.	Et dimitte nobis debita nostra,	Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
KJV (1611)	Giue vs this day our daily bread.	And forgiue vs our debts,	as we forgiue our debters.
NRSV	Give us this day our daily bread.	And forgive us our debts,	as we also have forgiven our debtors.
BCP & ICEL	Give us today our daily bread.	Forgive us our sins	as we forgive those who sin against us.
Roman Missal (USA)	Give us this day our daily bread.	And forgive us our trespasses,	As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Misale Romano (Mexico)	Danos hoy nuestro pan de cada día;	perdona nuestras ofensas,	como también nosotros perdonamos a los que nos ofenden;
Messbuch (Germany)	Unser tägliches Brot gib uns heute.	Und vergib uns unsere Schuld,	wie auch wir vergeben unsern Schuldigern.

Matt 6:13

Vulgate	et ne inducas nos in temptationem	sed libera nos a malo.	x
Roman Missal	Et ne nos inducas in tentationem:	Sed libera nos a malo.	Amen.
KJV (1611)	And lead vs not into temptation,	but deliuer vs from euill:	For thine is the kingdome, and the power, and the glory, for euer, Amen.
NRSV	And do not bring us to the time of trial,	but rescue us from the evil one.	x
BCP & ICEL	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.
Roman Missal (USA)	And lead us not into temptation,	But deliver us from evil.	[For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever.]
Misale Romano (Mexico)	no nos dejes caer en la tentación,	y líbranos del mal.	[Tuyo es el reino, tuyo el poder y la gloria, por siempre, Señor.]
Messbuch (Germany)	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.]

The Doxology and Embolism:

The final "doxology" (praising God for his "kingdom, power, and glory") is said at the conclusion of the Lord's Prayer in many Protestant traditions, since it is included in Matthew 6 in most manuscripts of the Bible (the Textus Receptus).
However, it is missing from some of the oldest biblical manuscripts, and thus is clearly a later addition; it recapitulates some of the themes of the beginning of the prayer.
In the Roman Catholic Mass, the doxology is included, but slightly separated from the rest of the Lord's Prayer by the insertion of the "Embolism," a short prayer spoken only by the main celebrant (bishop or priest):

Bishop/Priest: "Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ."

Assembly: "For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and for ever."

See also the main page of Prayer in the New Testament.