The Lord’s Prayer

Matthew 6:9-13*

Luke 11:2b-4*

Didache 8:2**

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

10 Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

  11 Give us this day our daily bread.

12 And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13 And do not bring us to the time of trial,

but rescue us from the evil one.

[NRSV note: Other ancient authorities add, in some form, For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.]

Father,

hallowed be your name.

Your Kingdom come.

Give us each day our daily bread.

And forgive us our sins,

for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us

Our Father,

who art in Heaven

hallowed be thy Name,

thy Kingdom come,

thy will be done

as in Heaven so also upon earth;

give us today our daily bread,

and forgive us our debt

as we forgive our debtors,

and lead us not into trial,

but deliver us from the Evil One,

for thine is the power and the glory for ever

Selected early comments:

“In the Gospel which is called, ‘according to the Hebrews,’ I have found, instead of ‘supersubstantial’ [i.e., ejpiouvsion, epiousion, ‘daily’ NRSV Mt. 6:11] bread, maar, which means ‘tomorrow’s. Thus the sense is: ‘give us today our’ tomorrow’s, that is, future bread.’ We can understand supersubstantial bread in another way as well: That which is over (super) all saubstances also surpasses all creatures. Others think of it literally, in accordance with the apostle’s words when he says, ‘Having food and clothes, we are content with these’ [1 Tim. 6:8]. Thus, saints should care only about the present day’s food, for which reason it is also commanded in what follows:L ‘Do not think about tomorrow’ [Mt. 6:34].” (Jerome, Commentary on Matthew, 6:11; on the internet at http://books.google.com/books?id=j0UmWBivNJgC&pg=PA15&lpg=PA15&dq=Jerome,+Commentary+on+Matthew&source=bl&ots=0vwPBK6JuG&sig=A0LobbKPvbsbpuBGvKrAvj_NTA8&hl=en&ei=wZq7SunAD8SHtgeoobibDQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3#, accessed September 24, 2009, by Google search for “Jerome Commentary on Matthew).

“For he spoke thus: ‘Be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy. Forgive, that ye may be forgiven. As ye do, so shall it be done unto you. As ye give so shall it be given unto you. As ye judge, so shall ye be judged. As ye are kind, so lshall kindness be shewn you. With what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you’ ” (1 Clement, To the Corinthians, 13:2, trans. Kirsopp Lake, Loeb Classical Library).

“If then we pray the Lord to forgive us, we also ought to forgive, for we stand before the eyes of the Lord and of God, and ‘we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, and each must give an account of himself [2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:12]’ ” (Polycarp, To the Philippians, 6:2, trans. Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Classical Library, vol. I).

“Wherefore, leaving the foolishness of the crowd, and their false teaching, let us turn back to the word which was delivered to us in the beginning, ‘watching unto prayer’ and persevering in fasting, beseeching the all-seeing God in our supplications ‘to lead us not The Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Classical Library, vol. I).

“And he might have departed to another place, but would not, saying, ‘the will of God be done’ ” (The Martyrdom of Polycarp, 7:1, trans. Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Classical Library, vol. II).

*NRSV. **Translation, Kirsopp Lake, The Apostolic Fathers, Loeb Classical Library, vol. I, p. 321. The text of the Didache is also found at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/richardson/fathers.viii.i.iii.html (accessed again September 27, 2007).