From ChatGPT 11/26/2025.
Below is a clean, practical side-by-side comparison table of the three versions: Matthew 6:9–13 (NRSV), Luke 11:2–4 (NRSV), and Didache 8:2–3. All quotations are shown directly in the table.
Side-by-Side Comparison of the Lord’s Prayer Versions
| Line / Element | Matthew 6:9–13 (NRSV) | Luke 11:2–4 (NRSV) | Didache 8:2–3* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Address | “Our Father in heaven,” | “Father,” | “Our Father in heaven,” |
| Praise of God’s Name | “hallowed be your name.” | “hallowed be your name.” | “hallowed be your name.” |
| Kingdom Petition | “Your kingdom come.” | “Your kingdom come.” | “Your kingdom come.” |
| Will of God | “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” | (absent) | “Your will be done, as in heaven so also on earth.” |
| Daily Bread | “Give us this day our daily bread.” | “Give us each day our daily bread.” | “Give us today our daily bread.” |
| Forgiveness | “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” | “And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.” | “And forgive us our debt, as we also forgive our debtors.” |
| Temptation | “And do not bring us to the time of trial,” | “And do not bring us to the time of trial.” | “And do not lead us into temptation,” |
| Deliverance | “but rescue us from the evil one.” | (Luke ends here; no deliverance line) | “but deliver us from evil;” |
| Doxology | (absent from earliest manuscripts) | (absent) | “for yours is the power and the glory forever.” |
| Liturgical Note | (none) | (none) | “Pray this three times a day.” |
*. The wording I used matches the widely used English translation by Michael W. Holmes in The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations (3rd ed.; Grand Rapids: Baker Academic).
Holmes’s edition is a revision and expansion of the classic J. B. Lightfoot & J. R. Harmer translation, but the specific phrasing I used (e.g., “as in heaven so also on earth,” “for yours is the power and the glory forever”) aligns most closely with Holmes’s rendering of Didache 8.2–3.
