The Lords Prayer King James Version
The Lord's Prayer in the King James Version comes from two Gospel passages: Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4. In Matthew 6, the prayer begins with the words, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name." The text continues with petitions for God's kingdom, daily bread, forgiveness of debts, and deliverance from evil, before ending with a traditional closing doxology. The King James Version of the Bible was published in 1611 and remains in the public domain in the United States. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus gives this prayer after His disciples ask Him directly, "Lord, teach us to pray." Matthew records the prayer as part of the Sermon on the Mount, immediately after reminding the listeners that their Father knows what things they have need of before they ask Him.
Reading the 1611 text introduces several older English phrasing choices. The relative pronoun "which" stands where modern English uses "who," "art" means "are," and "thy" means "your." Matthew uses the word "debts," which is the wording of the KJV, and "trespasses" is the wording common in English liturgical use. The prayer asks for God's will to be done "in earth," which means "on earth." These words are given for anyone who finds personal words hard to find.
The Lord's Prayer from Matthew 6 (King James Version)
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.
The Lord's Prayer from Luke 11 (King James Version)
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. Amen.
A Slow Prayer Line by Line
Our Father in heaven, we lift Your holy name with reverence and honor today. Let Your kingdom come into our daily lives, and let Your righteous will be done in our decisions on earth just as it is done in heaven. Provide for us this day the daily sustenance and shelter that we need to live faithfully. Forgive us our debts and failures, Lord, as we deliberately forgive the people who have caused us harm, taken from us, or failed us in their obligations. Guide our footsteps away from situations that test our frailty or draw us toward sin, and deliver us safely from every form of evil and snare of the enemy. We place our confidence in Your sovereignty, acknowledging that the kingdom, the power, and the glory belong to You throughout all generations and into eternity. Amen.
A Full Prayer for When Words Fail
Heavenly Father, we come before You in silence and exhaustion today because we do not have adequate words of our own to speak. We remember that our Father knows what things we have need of before we even ask Him, and we rest in that promise. In our weakness, we return to the very pattern of prayer that Jesus gave His disciples when they asked Him to teach them how to speak to God. We pray that Your holy name remains hallowed and honored above our anxieties and fears. We ask that Your kingdom rule our thoughts, and that Your sovereign will be accomplished in our homes, our communities, and the physical earth just as it is carried out among the angels in heaven. Grant us today the bread, water, and strength necessary for this day alone, teaching us not to borrow tomorrow's distress. Release us from the weight of our debts and transgressions against You, and soften our hearts so that we extend that exact same release to every debtor and neighbor who has wronged us. Do not leave us to wander into places of spiritual trial or temptation, but protect us and deliver us from the grip of evil. To You belongs the kingdom, the power, and the eternal glory. Amen.
A Prayer for the Pardon of Debts and Sins
Lord God, You hear the cries of Your servants and look upon us with compassion when our burdens feel heavy. In the words of the Gospel of Matthew, we ask You to forgive us our debts, recognizing how often we fall short of Your holy standard and accumulate faults we cannot repay on our own. In the words of the Gospel of Luke, we ask You to forgive our sins, acknowledging that we must also forgive everyone who remains indebted to us. Take away any bitterness, lingering grudges, or unresolved resentment that we hold against our neighbors. Teach us to practice the mercy that You extend to us so freely every morning. Keep us from destructive paths, guard our hearts against pride, and deliver us from evil through Your steadfast power. Amen.
A One-Line Prayer from the King James Words
Our Father which art in heaven, deliver us from evil and let Thy will be done in earth today. 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)
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)
Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.— Matthew 6:8 (KJV)
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.— Psalm 145:13 (KJV)
Frequently asked questions
What is the Lord's Prayer in the King James Version?
The Lord's Prayer in the King James Version is the English translation of Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4 printed in the 1611 Authorized Version of the Bible. The Matthew passage begins with the familiar words, "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name," and concludes with the traditional doxology, "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen." It remains in the public domain in the United States.
What is the difference between the Matthew and Luke versions?
The Gospel of Matthew records a longer form of the prayer as part of the Sermon on the Mount, while the Gospel of Luke records a shorter form given when the disciples ask Jesus to teach them to pray. Matthew asks God to "forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors," whereas Luke asks God to "forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us." Additionally, the closing doxology appears in Matthew 6 in the King James text, but it is completely absent from the text of Luke 11.
What does "which art in heaven" mean?
The phrase "which art in heaven" is early seventeenth-century English for "who are in heaven." In the grammar of 1611, the relative pronoun "which" was routinely used to refer to persons as well as inanimate objects, and "art" is the second-person singular present tense of the verb "to be." The phrase addresses God as our heavenly Father while affirming His dwelling place in heaven.
Why does the KJV say "debts" and many churches say "trespasses"?
The King James Version uses the word "debts" in Matthew 6:12 because that is the word Matthew's text gives. In English liturgical use, the word "trespasses" became the customary wording spoken together during public services. Matthew 6 records "debts," while Luke 11 records "sins," but both passages emphasize the necessity of forgiving others.
Is "for thine is the kingdom" in the Bible?
The sentence "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen" appears in the text of Matthew 6:13 within the King James Version. It does not appear in Luke 11, and it is not found in the earliest Greek biblical manuscripts. Because of its absence from those early manuscripts, many modern Bible translations choose to omit the phrase from their primary text or include it as a footnote.
What does "in earth, as it is in heaven" mean?
The phrase "in earth, as it is in heaven" is an older English construction that means God's holy will should be obeyed and accomplished on this earth just as perfectly as it is carried out in heaven. Modern translations typically render the preposition as "on earth," but the 1611 King James translation used "in earth." It asks God to bring human lives and earthly affairs into full alignment with His divine purpose.
Is the Lord's Prayer the same in every Bible translation?
The Lord's Prayer varies in wording between translations because different translation committees use different English vocabulary and rely on different manuscript traditions. For example, older translations like the King James Version use "which art," "thy," and "in earth," whereas modern translations generally use "who art" or "who is," "your," and "on earth." In addition, many modern translations place the final doxology in a footnote or omit it from the main text of Matthew 6.