Matthew 6:9-13 (KJV)
The Lord's Prayer
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, he did not give them a technique. He gave them words — short enough to memorise, deep enough to last a lifetime.
Christians have prayed this prayer daily for two thousand years, in every language on earth. It is both a prayer to say and a pattern to pray around: work through the lines slowly and put your own life into each one.
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.
Line by line
Line 1
Our Father in heaven
Prayer begins with relationship, not performance. 'Father' means you are welcomed as a child; 'our' means you never pray alone; 'in heaven' means the one who loves you also runs the universe.
Pray it: Say his name slowly. Tell him you are here as his child, not as a stranger asking a favour.
Line 2
Hallowed be your name
The first request is not about you. It asks that God be treated as holy — in the world, and first of all in your own thoughts and speech.
Pray it: Ask God to make his name honoured in your school, your family, your group chat, your own heart.
Line 3
Your kingdom come, your will be done
A request for God's rule to spread and, quietly, a surrender: I want what you want more than I want my own plan.
Pray it: Name one situation where you would rather have your own way, and hand it over.
Line 4
Give us this day our daily bread
Permission to ask for ordinary things — food, money, health, help with an exam. God cares about today, not just eternity. 'Daily' keeps you dependent rather than self-sufficient.
Pray it: Ask plainly for what you need today. Nothing is too small.
Line 5
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven
Confession, and the uncomfortable line Jesus attached to it: those who have received mercy are meant to hand it on. Forgiving is not saying it did not matter; it is refusing to keep collecting the debt.
Pray it: Name what you did wrong, without excuses. Then name the person you are still holding something against.
Line 6
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
An honest admission that you are not strong enough on your own, and a request for rescue from both your own weakness and the evil that presses in from outside.
Pray it: Name the temptation you know is coming this week and ask for a way out before you are in it.
Line 7
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory
An early Christian ending, added by the church because prayer should finish where it started — with God, not with our shopping list.
Pray it: End with praise. Say what he is like, and mean it.
Where this came from
We're not experts — these are the sources we used while researching this page. Read them yourself, keep digging, and hold us to them.
- [1]Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4, KJV — Blue Letter Bible
The Authorised Version text used on this page, with the Greek behind each line.
- [2]Tertullian, On Prayer, and Cyprian, On the Lord's Prayer (3rd century)
The earliest line-by-line Christian commentaries on this prayer.
- [3]Didache 8:2 — the doxology 'for thine is the kingdom'
Why the closing line appears in the KJV but is footnoted in modern translations.