The Lord’s Prayer
The following is my own translation of Matthew 6.9-13. I find it helpful to say the familiar words in a slightly different way, to help people think about what they are praying, instead of simply letting the words trip off the tongue.
Our Father in heaven:
let your name be honoured,
let your kingdom come,
let your will be done –
let your kingdom come,
let your will be done –
as in heaven, so too on earth.
Give us all we need
for the day ahead.
Help us leave our sin behind:
forgiven, and forgiving.
Lead us away from temptation,
but rescue us from evil.
For yours is the kingdom,
yours is the power,
yours is the glory –
yours is the power,
yours is the glory –
now and forever. (Amen.)
Copyright © 2019 & 2022 Ben Green
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Notes
- The prayer splits nicely into three groups of three, bracketed by the opening and closing lines: our Father (is) in heaven, now and forever.
- The opening three lines (starting ‘let’) are all linked – it’s not simply God’s will that we long to be done on earth, but that his name will be honoured on earth, and that his kingdom will come on earth – as in heaven.
- I have paraphrased ‘bread’ as ‘all we need’ because I don’t think it is a request for a loaf of bread – or even food in general – in my own country where most people do not struggle to feed themselves, it’s still important to acknowledge how much we still need God.
- Instead of ‘daily’ (as in daily bread) I have used ‘for the day ahead’, which I hope brings to mind Matthew 6.34 (Jesus said, ‘Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.’).
- The word ‘help’ doesn’t appear in the Greek, but the Bible often talks about God in this way (e.g. Psalm 54.4, Isaiah 41.10), and I find it a good word to describe how God works in and with us (see Philippians 2.12-13); we are neither alone nor divinely-controlled robots.
- The Greek word aphes can be translated ‘leave behind’ or ‘leave alone’ (e.g. Matthew 5.24, Luke 13.8), or ‘send away’ (as in divorce) - both are a helpful way of understanding forgiveness.
- Lead is a strong word, which I wanted to retain, while also making it clear (as per recent debates) that God does not tempt us.
- We need leading away from temptation, but rescuing from evil. I prefer the word ‘rescue’ to ‘deliver’ – probably because these days delivery is more associated in my mind with parcels than with God!
- I like the repetition of ‘yours’ in the final triplet, to place the emphasis firmly on God – and it helps to build the prayer to the climax of God’s eternal changelessness (‘now and forever’).