The Lord's Prayer (modern English)
Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
as we forgive those who sin against us.
Lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever. Amen.
Traditional (KJV) version
Our Father, which 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 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.
Where it comes from
Jesus taught the Lord's Prayer in two passages — Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. Matthew's longer version is the basis of most liturgical use. The closing doxology (“for thine is the kingdom…”) was added in the early church and is included by most Protestants but traditionally omitted by Catholics in the prayer itself (though it appears as a separate response at Mass).
Meaning, line by line
Our Father in heaven
God is addressed as Father — intimate yet awesome. “Our” reminds us this is a community prayer; we belong to one another.
Hallowed be your name
“Hallowed” means made holy, set apart. We pray that God's name — and so God himself — would be honored in us and in the world.
Your kingdom come, your will be done
A request that God's rule and purpose break into earth as fully as in heaven. The first half of the prayer is about God; only then do we turn to ourselves.
Give us today our daily bread
A prayer for daily provision — physical and spiritual. Not abundance for tomorrow, but enough for today.
Forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us
Forgiveness is unconditional from God — but our willingness to forgive others is the evidence we've received it.
Lead us not into temptation
A plea that we wouldn't face trials beyond our ability — not that God tempts us, but that he keeps us from situations we cannot bear.
Deliver us from evil
Final cry for protection — “the evil one” in the original Greek.
How traditions differ
- Catholic:Mass omits the doxology (“For thine is the kingdom…”) within the prayer itself; it follows as a separate response after a brief embolism.
- Orthodox: The doxology is part of the prayer or is said by the priest. Often prayed before meals at home.
- Protestant:Most versions include the full doxology. “Trespasses,” “debts,” or “sins” vary by tradition.
- Modern ecumenical:Many U.S. churches now use a shared modern version (“forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”).
How to pray it
Slowly. The Lord's Prayer is not a magic formula but a pattern. Pause on each line. Make it your own. Many Christians pray it daily — once in the morning, sometimes throughout the day.
Where to hear it
Almost every U.S. church prays the Lord's Prayer at Sunday services. Use our directory to find a church near you.