Lord's Prayer Debts or Trespasses
Matthew 6:12 says debts in the King James Version and Luke 11:4 says sins, while trespasses comes from the verses right after the prayer in Matthew 6:14-15, meaning there is no single correct wording. Readers who encounter both versions during worship often wonder which term Jesus actually spoke or which phrase belongs in the Lord's Prayer debts or trespasses text. The King James Version of Matthew preserves the language of debts and debtors, whereas Luke records sins alongside those who are indebted to us. Many traditions learned trespasses because the closing instruction in Matthew directly connects forgiveness to how we treat the trespasses of others.
Churches differ across traditions in their regular practice. Some churches say debts in their weekly services, while many other churches say trespasses when praying aloud together. The Greek word behind debts in the Gospel of Matthew points literally to something owed, framing human failing as an unpaid moral balance before God. Matthew 6:14 then explains that when people forgive others their trespasses, their heavenly Father forgives them as well.
Both terms reflect the biblical text, one from the direct petition inside the prayer and the other from the explanation that follows immediately after it. Deciding between debts and trespasses depends on your setting and personal habit. When praying alone, speaking of debts, trespasses, or sins names an honest need for divine mercy and an obligation to release others from blame. In a shared service, following the custom of the gathered congregation allows everyone to speak with one voice.
The petitions below provide words for seeking personal pardon, letting go of grievances, and asking God to lift moral debts using both scriptural phrasings.
A Prayer for the Forgiveness of Debts
Lord, forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. You know every obligation I have failed to fulfill toward You and toward the people around me. I carry the weight of broken commitments, careless words, and moments where I held back the patience and honor I owed to others. Clear my account by Your mercy, because I cannot repay what I have accumulated through my own shortcomings. As You release what I owe, give me the resolve to release every person who owes me an apology, a debt, or an explanation. Take away the resentment that keeps track of old accounts, and teach me to live freely under Your pardon. Amen.
A Prayer for the Forgiveness of Trespasses
Father, forgive my trespasses as I learn to forgive those who trespass against me. I recognize the boundaries I have crossed in thought, speech, and conduct. I have stepped where I ought not to have walked, causing harm and ignoring Your clear commands. Wash away these offenses and restore my path before You. Guard my thoughts so that I do not hoard bitter memories against those who overstep my boundaries or cause me grief. Let Your mercy quiet my anger, so that I extend the same patience to others that I ask You to show toward my life every day. Amen.
A Prayer to Forgive Someone Who Wronged You
Lord, someone has wronged me, and the hurt remains fresh in my mind. They stepped across my boundaries, broke my trust, and left me with pain I did not ask to bear. My immediate instinct is to demand retribution, to hold the offense against them, and to wait until they understand the full measure of what they broke. Yet Your word reminds me that if I do not forgive others their trespasses, I stand in danger of holding onto bitterness that poisons my own soul. I bring this grievance to You today, naming the wound and the person who caused it without minimizing the wrong. By an act of my will, I choose to cancel their moral debt to me. I surrender the urge to retaliate, the desire to see them suffer, and the demand that they balance the ledger before I can have peace. Take the sting out of my memories, quiet my defensive reactions, and keep my heart from growing hard toward others who had nothing to do with this hurt. Where bitterness wants to take root, replace it with stillness and release. Deliver me from the prison of dwelling on their failure, and help me walk in freedom today. Amen.
A Prayer for Seeking Pardon
Father in heaven, I come before You asking for pardon for the sins and errors of my past. I have fallen short of Your righteousness, neglected my daily duties, and acted in ways that dishonored Your name. I make no excuses for my failures, nor do I claim any righteousness of my own to balance what I have done. Look upon me with compassion and cleanse me from every unrighteous deed. Teach me to walk faithfully in the days ahead, mindful of Your direction and eager to do Your will on earth. Guard my steps against temptation, deliver me from evil, and keep my thoughts fixed on Your lasting kingdom. Amen.
A Comprehensive Prayer for a Clean Heart and Mutual Release
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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lord, I present my whole life before You, asking You to examine every hidden motive, every private resentment, and every accumulated trespass that separates me from complete fellowship with You. You see where I have demanded perfection from my family, my coworkers, and my neighbors while expecting limitless leniency for my own missteps. Break that double standard within me today. If I am withholding forgiveness from anyone who is indebted to me, give me the strength to release them right now. I do not want to carry the ledger of their failures into tomorrow. Deliver me from the temptation to nurse grudges, and save me from the evil of an unforgiving disposition. You possess all kingdom, power, and glory, and into Your hands I commend my debts, my wounds, and my future walk before You. Amen.
A One-Line Prayer for Releasing Others
Lord, forgive my debts today, and grant me grace to release everyone indebted to me. Amen.
Scripture to pray
After this manner therefore pray ye: 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 debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.— Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your heavenly Father forgive your trespasses.— Matthew 6:14-15 (KJV)
And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.— Luke 11:2-4 (KJV)
Frequently asked questions
Is it debts or trespasses in the Lord's Prayer?
Matthew 6:12 in the King James Version uses debts, while trespasses appears in Matthew 6:14-15 immediately following the prayer. Because both phrases appear in the biblical chapter, different Christian communities adopt different phrasings in their regular worship, and neither version is the exclusive biblical rendering.
Why does Luke say sins instead of debts?
Luke 11:4 records the petition as forgive us our sins, followed directly by for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. Luke uses the word sins to identify moral transgression, while retaining the concept of indebtedness for the relationships people navigate with each other.
Which churches say debts and which say trespasses?
Some churches say debts, while many other churches say trespasses during corporate gatherings. Traditions vary in their choice, but both expressions remain widely used across Christian congregations.
What does forgive us our debts mean?
The Greek word behind debts in Matthew 6:12 refers to something owed, portraying moral failing and disobedience as an unpaid obligation to God. Asking God to forgive our debts means asking Him to cancel that moral deficit completely.
Does it matter which wording I use when I pray?
Both terms derive from the text of Scripture in Matthew 6. When praying privately, choose the wording that helps you seek forgiveness and forgive others, and when praying with a congregation, simply join the wording the congregation uses.