Translating Lord's Prayer
Translating Lord's Prayer, the most widely recited prayer in the world, focuses on the use in English of the impersonal terms "kingdom" and "earth". The second half of the prayer is entirely personal, and the first half can be translated with a similar approach.
The most powerful, and precise, translation of the key phrase is this:
| “ | Let your paradise arrive, let your will thrive, here as it is in heaven | ” |
This key phrase is, unfortunately, typically translated into English in a diluted, globalist manner, contrary to the original Greek: Matthew 6:10 (NIV):
| “ | your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven | ” |
The issue is that gives the key phrase a globalist rather than a personal meaning. Also, the original Greek terms do not mean "kingdom" and "earth". Yet virtually every English translation uses "kingdom" and "ear///th", perhaps due to the pervasive familiarity with this rendition. A rare exception is the use of "reign" rather than "kingdom" by Young's Literal Translation.[1]
Personal rather than globalist translation
A very powerful, personal rendition of this phrase, which can help overcome depression, addiction, and run-of-the-mill anxiety, is this:
| “ | your paradise arrive, your will be done, here as it is in heaven | ” |
Or if the near-rhyme ("kingdom come ... will be done") of the KJV is advantageous, then this full rhyme works with the "your" of course referring to God:
| “ | your paradise arrive, let your will thrive, here as it is in heaven | ” |
"Thrive" is a strong, action-based word that has been increasing in use since 1980, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, and increases the power of the Lord's Prayer.[2]
Perhaps better still is to include a "let", which is consistent with the original Greek, at the beginning:
| “ | Let your paradise arrive, let your will thrive, here as it is in heaven | ” |
