The Lord's Prayer

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.

Amen.

---

Where it comes from

Jesus taught this prayer in the Sermon on the Mount, when the disciples asked him to teach them to pray (Matthew 6:9-13; a shorter form is in Luke 11:2-4). The version above is the traditional English form; read the full Bible text in Matthew 6. Some traditions add at the end: "for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever".

A note on each petition

• Our Father — not "my": the prayer belongs to a family, even when prayed alone.
• Hallowed be thy name — may God be recognized as God, starting with my life.
• Thy kingdom come — may God's way of ruling arrive here, today.
• Our daily bread — what is needed for today, not security forever.
• Forgive us... as we forgive — the only petition with a condition tied to us.
• Deliver us from evil — the confidence that evil does not have the last word.