Learn to say the Aramaic Prayer of Jesus

What if…

All Christians and devotees of Jesus, and his example of selfless service, would learn to say the words of his prayer (“The Lord’s Prayer”) in his native Aramaic Language?

All Christians and devotees of Jesus would then have one prayer, one practice, that they could share together, without any language or doctrinal differences. Today, we cannot even share the practice called “communion” (or eucharist) together because of these diffferences.

What difference would it make for Christians to unite in one prayer, acknowledging at the same time what all theologians, scholars and historians know: Jesus-Yeshua was a native Middle Eastern person and spoke Aramaic, a language related to both ancient Hebrew and classical Arabic, the languges of the Jewish and Islamic traditions?

Eastern (Aramaic-speaking) Christians today (Assyrians, Arameans, Syrian Orthodox, Church of the East) do not agree about the exact pronunciation of these words, but in fact the actual differences between their pronuniciations are very slight. A person of any language or background who learns a basic pronunciation of the Aramaic Lord’s Prayer could easily understand any others and join in praying the prayer with them.

The Abwoon Study Circle promotes this vision:

  • The pronunciation of the Aramaic Prayer of Jesus, in a dialect that combines both of the major current Aramaic pronunciations with a “tablespoon” of the ancient Hebrew intonation that Yeshua may have used, is now available online. The sound files in mp3 format can be downloaded, allowing one to learn the prayer at home. The links are below.
  • The Prayers of the Cosmos teaching CD uses advanced language education technology to allow one to learn both Yeshua’s prayer and his Beatitude sayings from Matthew in Aramaic. Use it for 15 minutes a day and you will learn the prayer in 40 days. Visit the Abwoon online shop to download all of the audio files, which include melodies for each line of the prayer and Beatitudes.

The Prayer of Jesus in Aramaic (“The Lord’s Prayer”)

Transliteration and original translation by Dr. Neil Douglas-Klotz from the Peshitta (Syriac-Aramaic) version of Matthew 6:9-13 & Luke 11:2-4. Reprinted from Prayers of the Cosmos: Meditations on the Aramaic Words of Jesus (Harper Collins, 1990). © 1990 Neil Douglas-Klotz. All rights reserved, including the right to reprint in whole or in part.

Click on the links below to hear each line of the prayer. Each opens in separate tab.

Abwoon d’bwashmaya
O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos/ you create all that moves in light.

Nethqadash shmakh
Focus your light within us–make it useful: as the rays of a beacon show the way.

Teytey malkuthakh
Create your reign of unity now–through our firey hearts and willing hands.

Nehwey sebyanach aykanna d’bwashmaya aph b’arha.
Your one desire then acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms.

Habwlan lachma d’sunqanan yaomana.
Grant what we need each day in bread and insight:
subsistence for the call of growing life.


Washboqlan khaubayn (wakhtahayn)
aykana daph khnan shbwoqan l’khayyabayn.
Loose the cords of mistakes binding us,
as we release the strands we hold of others’ guilt.

Wela tahlan l’nesyuna.
Ela patzan min bisha.
Don’t let us enter forgetfulness
But free us from unripeness

Metol dilakhie malkutha wahayla wateshbukhta l’ahlam almin.
Ameyn.

From you is born all ruling will, the power and the life to do,
the song that beautifies all, from age to age it renews.

Truly–power to these statements–may they be the source from which all my actions grow. Sealed in trust & faith. Amen.

An inspirational short video with music by Eric Manolson where you can hear the whole prayer in Aramaic recited by Neil with one of his translations.  Click here.