The traditional words
This is the form most people in Britain grew up with, shaped by the Book of Common Prayer and learnt by generations at school and in church:
Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in 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.
The modern words
Common Worship, the Church of England's current service book, offers a contemporary form that many churches now use alongside the traditional one:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as 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 for ever. Amen.
Neither version is more correct than the other. The prayer comes to us from Matthew chapter 6 and Luke chapter 11, and every English wording is a translation. Most congregations simply follow whichever form is printed in the service sheet, and many older worshippers slip happily between the two.
Trespasses, debts or sins?
Visitors often stumble at one line. Anglicans and Roman Catholics in Britain usually say “forgive us our trespasses”. The Church of Scotland and other churches in the Reformed family have historically said “forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”, which follows Matthew's Greek closely. Modern texts often choose the plainer “forgive us our sins”. All three carry the same weight: we ask God to release us, and we commit to releasing others. If you are unsure at a service, listen for a beat and join in; nobody minds.
What each line means
- Our Father in heaven. Not “my” Father but “our”. Even prayed alone, this prayer places you in a family that spans the world. God is addressed with the intimacy of a child speaking to a parent.
- Hallowed be your name. An old word meaning “held holy”. Before we ask for anything, we ask that God be honoured as God, in the world and in us.
- Your kingdom come, your will be done. A prayer for God's good rule to break into ordinary life: workplaces, families, governments, our own stubborn hearts.
- Give us today our daily bread. Permission to ask for ordinary things. Food, work, health, enough for today. It is a prayer of dependence, not of greed.
- Forgive us, as we forgive. The only line Jesus immediately commented on. Received forgiveness and offered forgiveness belong together; the prayer will not let us keep one without the other.
- Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. A plea for protection: keep us from trials that would break us, and rescue us from evil in every form.
- For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours. The closing doxology, added early in Christian worship. The prayer ends where it began, with God rather than with us.
Where you will hear it
The Lord's Prayer is said at almost every Christian service in the United Kingdom: Holy Communion and Evensong in Anglican churches, Mass in Catholic parishes, morning worship in Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed chapels, and gatherings of newer churches too. It is prayed at christenings, weddings and funerals, which is why even people who rarely attend church often know it by heart. It is one of very few texts the whole church holds in common.
Praying it well
Familiarity is the prayer's gift and its danger. A simple practice: pray it slowly once a day, pausing after each line to put it in your own words. “Give us today our daily bread” might become a prayer about a job interview or a food shop that needs to stretch. Prayed like this, seven short lines can carry a whole life. If you would like to pray it with others, any local congregation will be glad to have you; see our guide to visiting a church for the first time.