lords prayer words - traditional and contemporary prayers

The Lord's Prayer
(Old English - Anglo-Saxon)


Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum;

Si þin nama gehalgod

to becume þin rice

gewurþe ðin willa

on eorðan swa swa on heofonum.

urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us todæg

and forgyf us ure gyltas

swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum

and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge

ac alys us of yfele soþlice

(note: the old english "þ" is pronounced "th")



Translation of Old English Text

Father our thou that art in heavens

be thy name hallowed

come thy kingdom

be-done thy will

on earth as in heavens

our daily bread give us today

and forgive us our sins

as we forgive those-who-have-sinned-against-us

and not lead thou us into temptation

but deliver us from evil. truly


Explore the Lord's Prayer through the writings of three famous biblical theologians (Matthew Henry, Adam Clarke and Albert Barnes).

The Lord's prayer opens with addressing God as "Father who art in Heaven". There are then seven petitions. The first requests are contected with the worship of God ("Hallowed be thy name") and His ways. The next four concern the needs of man - his physical ("Give us today our daily bread"), mental (with temptation) spiritual (against evil) and relational needs (forgiveness). The prayer then concludes with a doxology.


The Lord's Prayer

A short inspiring reading of this famous prayer:-



What is Old English?

"Old English" is version of English spoken from approximately AD 450 to about 1100, and was in use in much of England and southeast Scotland. It also known as "Anglo-Saxon", and is a combination of the Germanic based languages of Old Norse and Old Frisian, and Latin.




More versions of the Lord's Prayer...

versions of this famous prayer in various languages