The miser prays God for the vain and superfluous preservation of his hoard; the ambitious man, for success and the achievement of his desires; the thief uses God to help him overcome the dangers and difficulties which obstruct his nefarious designs or else thanks God when he finds it easy to slit the gizzard of some passer-by. At the foot of the mansion which they are about to climb into and blow up, men say their prayers, while their purposes and hopes are full of cruelty, lust, and greed.
[L’avaricieux le prie pour la conservation vaine & superflue de ses thresors : l’ambitieux pour ses victoires, & conduite de sa fortune : le voleur l’employe à son ayde, pour franchir le hazard & les difficultez, qui s’opposent à l’execution de ses meschantes entreprinses : ou le remercie de l’aisance qu’il a trouvé à desgosiller un passant. Au pied de la maison, qu’ils vont escheller ou petarder, ils font leurs prieres, l’intention & l’esperance pleine de cruauté, de luxure, & d’avarice.]
Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 56 (1.56), “Of Prayers [Des prieres]” (1572-1580) [tr. Screech (1987)]
(Source)
Most of the passage appeared in the 1st (1580) edition; the last example (the military assault) appeared in the 3rd (1595) edition.
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:The covetous man sueth and praieth unto him for the vaine encrease and superfluous preservation of his wrong-gotten treasure. The ambitious, he importuneth God for the conduct of his fortune, and that he may have the victorie of all his desseignes. The theefe, the pirate, the murtherer, yea and the traitor, all call upon him, all implore his ayde, and all solicite him, to give them courage in their attempts, constancie in their resolutions, to remove all lets and difficulties, that in any sorte may withstand their wicked executions, and impious actions; or give him thanks, if they have had good successe; the one if he have met with a good bootie, the other if he returne home rich, the third if no man have seene him kill his enemie, and the last, though he have caused any execrable mischiefe. The Souldier, if he but go to besiege a cottage, to scale a Castle, to robbe a Church, to Pettard a gate, to force a religious house, or any villanous act, before he attempt-it, praieth to God for his assistance, though his intents and hopes be full-fraught with crueltie, murther, covetise, luxurie, sacriledge, and all iniquitie.
[tr. Florio (1603)]The covetous man prays for the vain and superfluous preservation of his riches; the ambitious, for victory and the conduct of his fortune; the thief calls God to his assistance to deliver him from the dangers and difficulties that obstruct his wicked designs; or returns him thanks for the facility he has met with in cutting a traveller's throat. At the door of the house they are going to storm, or break into by force of a petard, they fall to prayers for success, having their intention and hopes full of cruelty, avarice, and luxury.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]The covetous man prays for the conservation of his vain and superfluous riches; the ambitious for victory and the good conduct of his fortune; the thief calls Him to his assistance, to deliver him from the dangers and difficulties that obstruct his wicked designs, or returns Him thanks for the facility he has met with in cutting a man’s throat; at the door of the house men are going to storm or break into by force of a petard, they fall to prayers for success, their intentions and hopes of cruelty, avarice, and lust.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]The avaricious man prays to him for the vain and superfluous of his riches; the ambitious man for his triumphs and the guidance of his passion; the thief employs him for aid in overcoming the risk and difficulties which impede the execution of his evil enterprises, or thanks him for the ease with which a traveler has had his throat cut. At the wall of the house they are about to scale or blow up, they say their prayers, their purpose and hope being full of cruelty, lust, greed.
[tr. Ives (1925)]The miser prays to him for the vain and superfluous conservation of his treasures; the ambitious man, for his victories and the guidance of this passion; the thief uses his help to pass through the risks and difficulties that oppose the execution of his wicked enterprises, or thanks him for having found it easy to cut a passer-by's throat. Standing beside the house they are going to scale or blow up, they say their prayers, with their intention and hopes full of cruelty, lust, and avarice.
[tr. Frame (1943)]
Quotations about:
intercession
Note not all quotations have been tagged, so Search may find additional quotes on this topic.
Father:
May your holy name be honored;
may your Kingdom come.
Give us day by day the food we need.
Forgive us our sins,
for we forgive everyone who does us wrong.
And do not bring us to hard testing.[Πάτερ, ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δίδου ἡμῖν τὸ καθ᾽ ἡμέραν·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν,
καὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ ἀφίομεν παντὶ ὀφείλοντι ἡμῖν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν.]The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
Luke 11: 2-4 (Jesus) [GNT (1976)]
(Source)
In Luke, Jesus offers this when asked by his disciples how to properly pray. It is known as "The Lord's Prayer," or, based on its initial words, the "Our Father" (Greek Πάτερ ἡμῶν, Latin Pater Noster).
This passage is paralleled, somewhat more simply, in Matthew 6:9-13. That prayer has seven petitions, while this one has (in most accepted versions) five. It is missing in Mark, leading to various hypotheses as to the Matthew/Luke origins. The JB suggests the Matthew prayer is "the more ancient," and liturgical use of the prayer is almost always based on the Matthew version.
Dante Alighieri crafted his own version of of this prayer in his Divine Comedy, "Purgatorio."
(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations: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.
[KJV (1611)]Father, may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come;
give us each day our daily bread,
and forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test.
[JB (1966); NJB (1985)]Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.
[NIV (2011 ed.)]Father, uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom.
Give us the bread we need for today.
Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who has wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation.
[CEB (2011)]Father, may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us.
And do not bring us to the time of trial.
[NRSV (2021 ed.)]
Further notes:
- The NRSV and NIV suggest the reference to "Father" (11:2) is given in some manuscripts as "Our Father in heaven."
- The NRSV and JB say some manuscripts (perhaps from baptismal liturgies) read the "kingdom come" line (11:2) as "May your Holy Spirit come down on us and cleanse us."
- The NRSV and NIV say some manuscripts add a line after "your kingdom come" (11:2): "Your will be done, on earth as in heaven."
- The GNT and NRSV suggests the third line (11:3) can also end "food for the next day" or "bread for tomorrow."
- The NIV says that in the Greek the "everyone who sins against us" line (11:4) can be read "everyone who is indebted to us."
- The NRSV suggests that the last line (11:4) can also be read "us into temptation."
- The NRSV and NIV note some manuscripts add to the end of the prayer, "but rescue us from the evil one" or "but rescue us from evil."
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come.
Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us,
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.[Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς·
ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου·
ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου·
γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου,
ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς·
τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον·
καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν,
ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν·
καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν,
ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ.
Ὅτι σοῦ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία
καὶ ἡ δύναμις καὶ ἡ δόξα
εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.]The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
Matthew 6: 9-13 “The Lord’s Prayer” (Jesus) [Episcopal Book of Common Prayer (1928)]
(Source)
Jesus offers this as an example of how to pray (versus the wordier prayers of the "pagans"). Because of this, it is known as "The Lord's Prayer," or, based on its initial words, the "Our Father" (Greek Πάτερ ἡμῶν, Latin Pater Noster).
This passage is paralleled, somewhat more simply, in Luke 11:2-4. That prayer has five petitions, while this one has (in most accepted versions) seven. It is missing in Mark, leading to various hypotheses as to the Matthew/Luke origins. The JB suggests the Matthew prayer is "the more ancient," and liturgical use of the prayer is almost always based on the Matthew version.
Dante Alighieri crafted his own version of of this prayer in his Divine Comedy, "Purgatorio."
The (here italicized) concluding doxology ("For thine is the kingdom ... Amen") is not in the oldest Greek manuscripts (see below for more discussion).
(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations: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.
[KJV (1611)]Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debs,
as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.
[JB (1966)]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.
[GNT (1976)]Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the Evil One.
[NJB (1985)]Our Father who is in heaven,
uphold the holiness of your name.
Bring in your kingdom
so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven.
Give us the bread we need for today.
Forgive us for the ways we have wronged you,
just as we also forgive those who have wronged us.
And don’t lead us into temptation,
but rescue us from the evil one.
[CEB (2011)]Our Father in heaven,
may your name be honored.
May your kingdom come.
May what you want to happen be done
on earth as it is done in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our sins,
just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.
Keep us from sinning when we are tempted.
Save us from the evil one.
[NIV (2011 ed.)]Our Father in heaven,
may your name be revered as holy.
May your kingdom come.
May your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And do not bring us to the time of trial,
but rescue us from the evil one.
[NRSV (2021 ed.)]
Further Notes:The final doxology ("For thine is the kingdom ...") is not in the oldest Greek texts, and is usually included as a footnote in modern Bible translations (the translators of the King James Version mistakenly thought they had the oldest texts and so included it verse 13). Adding such a doxology at the end of prayers was common in the early Church liturgies. Many Protestant denominations of Christianity include it in their recitation of the Lord's Prayer; in Catholic Masses, a version is included shortly after it. Beyond the KJV inclusion above, other translations include:
- On "daily bread," JB/NJB notes the Greek word here is "obscure," and may mean "necessary for subsistence" or "for tomorrow." NRSV and GNT similarly note an alternative, "Give us today our bread for tomorrow."
- NRSV notes an alternative translation, "And do not bring us into testing ..."
- JB/NJB and NRSV notes a final line alternative translation: "... but rescue us from evil."
- The JB/NJB footnotes Matthew's recurring use of the number 7, here including seven petitions.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.
[JB/NJB]
For the kingdom and the power and the glory are yours forever. Amen.
[NRSV]
For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
[GNT]
See also here for additional discussion about the prayer.
There would be neither fruit nor flowers if God answered all prayers concerning the weather according to our folly.
Minna Antrim (1861-1950) American epigrammatist, writer
Naked Truth and Veiled Allusions (1902)
(Source)
From a cross Neighbour, and a sullen Wife,
A pointless Needle, and a broken Knife;
From Suretyship, and from an empty Purse,
A Smoaky Chimney and a jolting Horse;
From a dull Razor, and an aking Head,
From a bad Conscience and a buggy Bed;
A Blow upon the Elbow and the Knee,
From each of these, Good L—d deliver me.Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1734 ed.)
(Source)
No longer dream that human prayer
The will of Fate can overbear.[Desine fata deum flecti sperare precando.]
Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet [b. Publius Vergilius Maro; also Vergil]
The Aeneid [Ænē̆is], Book 6, l. 176ff (6.176) [The Sybil] (29-19 BC) [tr. Conington (1866)]
(Source)
Speaking to dead Palinurus.
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:Desist to hope that fates will heare thy prayer
[tr. Ogilby (1649)]Fate, and the dooming gods, are deaf to tears.
[tr. Dryden (1697)]Cease to hope that the decrees of the gods are to be altered by prayers.
[tr. Davidson/Buckley (1854)]Cease to hope
By prayers to bend the destinies divine.
[tr. Cranch (1872)]Cease to hope prayers may bend the decrees of heaven.
[tr. Mackail (1885)]Hope not the Fates of very God to change by any prayer.
[tr. Morris (1900)]Hope not by prayer to bend the Fates' decree.
[tr. Taylor (1907), st. 51, l. 454]Hope not by prayer to change the laws of Heaven!
[tr. Williams (1910)]Cease to dream that heaven's decrees may be turned aside by prayer.
[tr. Fairclough (1916)]Give up the hope
That fate is changed by praying.
[tr. Humphries (1951)]Give up this hope that the course of fate can be swerved by prayer.
[tr. Day-Lewis (1952)]Leave any hope that prayer can turn aside
the gods' decrees.
[tr. Mandelbaum (1971), ll. 495-96]Abandon hope by prayer to make the gods
Change their decrees.
[tr. Fitzgerald (1981), ll. 506-7]You must cease to hope that the Fates of the gods can be altered by prayers.
[tr. West (1990)]Cease to hope that divine fate can be tempered by prayer.
[tr. Kline (2002)]Stop hoping that the gods' decrees
Can be bent with prayer.
[tr. Lombardo (2005)]Hope no more
the gods’ decrees can be brushed aside by prayer,
[tr. Fagles (2006), l. 428-29]As if the gods' fates could be bent by prayer.
[tr. Bartsch (2021)]
Lady Maccon cast her hands heavenward, although there was no one up there for her to appeal to. It was an accepted fact that preternaturals had no spiritual recourse, only pragmatism. Alexia didn’t mind; the latter had often gotten her out of sticky situations, whereas the former seemed highly unreliable when one was in a bind.
Gail Carriger (b. 1976) American archaeologist, author [pen name of Tofa Borregaard]
Heartless (2011)
And therefore it was a good answer that was made by one who when they showed him hanging in a temple a picture of those who had paid their vows as having escaped shipwreck, and would have him say whether he did not now acknowledge the power of the gods, — “Aye,” asked he again, “but where are they painted that were drowned after their vows?”
[Taque recte respondit ille, qui, cum suspensa tabula in templo ei monstraretur eorum qui vota solverant, quod naufragii periculo elapsi sint, atque interrogando premeretur, anne tum quidem Deorum numen agnosceret, quaesivit denuo, At ubi sunt illi depicti qui post vota nuncupata perierint?]
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Instauratio Magna [The Great Instauration], Part 2 “Novum Organum [The New Organon],” Book 1, Aphorism # 46 (1620) [tr. Spedding (1858)]
(Source)
The reference is to Diagoras, in Cicero, De Natura Deorum, 3.37, or to Diogenes the Cynic, in Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, 6.59.
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:It was well answered by him who was shown in a temple the votive tablets suspended by such as had escaped the peril of shipwreck, and was pressed as to whether he would then recognise the power of the gods, by an inquiry; "But where are the portraits of those who have perished in spite of their vows?"
[tr. Wood (1831)]And so he made a good answer, who, when he was shown, hung up in the temple, the votive tablets of those who had fulfilled their vows after escaping from shipwreck, and was pressed with the question, "Did he not then recognize the will of the gods?" asked, in his turn, "But where are the pictures of those who have perished, notwithstanding their vows?"
[tr. Johnson (1859)]So when someone was shown a votive tablet in a temple dedicated, in fulfilment of a vow, by some men who had escaped the danger of shipwreck, and was pressed to say whether he would now recognise the divinity of the gods, he made a good reply, when he retorted: "Where are the offerings of those who made vows and perished?"
[tr. Silverthorne (2000)]A man was shown a picture, hanging in a temple, of people who had made their vows and escaped shipwreck, and was asked ‘Now do you admit the power of the gods?’ He answered with a question: ‘Where are the pictures of those who made their vows and then drowned?’ It was a good answer!
[tr. Bennett (2017)]
