The Lord's Prayer
modern versions
This page brings together a number of contemporary versions of the Lord's Prayer as recorded in Matthew's gospel.
N.B. if you're just looking for a modern Anglican version of the prayer (e.g. without the "Thee's and Thou's) then please jump to this page instead.
• The Message Version of the prayer in Matthew's Gospel (one of the most poetic and creative modern day versions of the scriptures is "The Message" by Eugene Peterson.)
• The New Living Translation version seeks to capture complete thoughts (rather than just the specific words) of the original manuscripts and translate these into contemporary and natural English.
• The Contemporary English Version is a translation published in 1995 that aspires to making the scriptures easily understood by all. It is one of the best bible versions for reading out loud (in small groups or in services etc).
•The Good News Translation (more commonly called the "Good News Bible") translates the original texts into simple and clear everyday English. As such it is a popular choice for children and learners of English. Less poetic than The Message and the NLT.
resources on this page
New Living Translation
Contemporary English Version
Good News Translation
The Lord's Prayer
A short creative reading of the "Our Father", accompanied by images of beautiful falling leaves:-
The Lord's Prayer
New Living Translation
Our Father in heaven,
may your name be kept holy.
May your Kingdom come soon.
May your will be done on earth,
as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need,
and forgive us our sins,
as we have forgiven those who sin against us.
And don't let us yield to temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
The Lord's Prayer
The Message
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
The Message (MSG) Matthew 6:9-13
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002
by Eugene H. Peterson
The Lord's prayer contains the sum total of religion and morals.
(Wellington)
The Lord's Prayer
Contemporary English Version
Our Father in heaven,
help us to honor your name.
Come and set up your kingdom,
so that everyone on earth
will obey you,
as you are obeyed in heaven.
Give us our food for today.
Forgive us for doing wrong,
as we forgive others.
Keep us from being tempted
and protect us from evil.
Contemporary English Version (CEV)
Matthew 6:9-13
Multi-lingual version of the Lord's Prayer
A contemporary reading of the "Our Father" in various languages including Spanish, English, Chinese and Hebrew, filmed in downtown New York:-
The Lord's Prayer
Good News Translation
Our Father in heaven:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come;
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today the food we need.
Forgive us the wrongs we have done,
as we forgive the wrongs that others have done to us.
Do not bring us to hard testing,
but keep us safe from the Evil One.
Good News Translation (GNT), Matthew 6:9-13
Take a moment to hear from God...
here are links to some wonderfully inspired prayers to aid your journey