We left the prayer at "as in heaven, so on earth." What follows turns from God's glory to our needs — daily bread, mercy, protection — and ends by returning every good thing to God. Read each line slowly; you already hold every tool required to sound it out.
I.The petitions
"Our daily bread," word by word
II.The doxology
The prayer closes by giving everything back to God — kingdom, power, and glory, without end. In the Ethiopian tradition these words are sung with particular reverence.
"For ever and ever," word by word
III.The whole prayer
Here it is entire — your first complete text in Ge'ez, from "Our Father" to "Amen." Read it through, unhurried, and hear how much you now understand.
IV.Vocabulary to treasure
| Ge'ez | Romanization | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| ሲሳይ | sisay | food, bread, sustenance |
| ዕለት | ʿələt | day |
| ኅድግ | ḫədəg | forgive, remit |
| አበሳ | abäsa | trespass, transgression |
| እግዚኦ | əgziʾo | O Lord (a direct address) |
| መንሱት | mänsut | temptation, trial |
| አድኅነ | adḫənä | he saved, delivered |
| እኩይ | əkuy | evil |
| ኀይል | ḫayl | power, strength |
| ስብሐት | səbḥat | glory, praise |
Study Guide & Self-Check
Answer from memory, then reveal each one.
- What does the suffix -ነ mean? Find three words in this lesson that carry it.
- Translate: ሀበነ ዮም
- What is እግዚኦ, and how is it used in the prayer?
- Give the Ge'ez (with meaning) for the three things named in the doxology.
- Read aloud the final line and translate it: ለዓለመ ዓለም። አሜን።
Answer 1
-ነ means "us / our." Examples: ሀበነ (give us), አበሳነ (our trespass), አድኅነነ (save us), ሲሳየነ (our bread), ዕለትነ (our day).
Answer 2
ሀበነ (give us) + ዮም (today) → "Give us today."
Answer 3
እግዚኦ (əgziʾo) means "O Lord" — a direct call to God. It appears in "lead us not, O Lord, into temptation."
Answer 4
መንግሥት (mängəśt) — kingdom; ኀይል (ḫayl) — power; ስብሐት (səbḥat) — glory.
Answer 5
läʿalämä ʿaläm. amen. — "for ever and ever. Amen."
What you have accomplished
In three lessons you have moved from a blank page to reading an entire prayer in one of humanity's oldest sacred languages. Keep the complete prayer where you will see it, and read it aloud often — repetition is how the ancient monks learned, and it remains the surest path. May your reading be blessed.
"Completing the Lord's Prayer — Lesson Three" © Abyssinian Orthodox University is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. You are free to copy, share, translate, and adapt this lesson for any purpose, provided you credit Abyssinian Orthodox University and indicate any changes.