The Aramaic Lord’s Prayer, Matthew 6:9-13 and Luke 11:2-4
Chant composed in the ancient Dorian mode by Christopher Moroney · Improvised solo by Covita Moroney
Aramaic is a Middle Eastern language that was the native tongue of Jesus of Nazareth, and common to the Israel/Palestine region during the first century c.e. This musical setting of the prayer of Jesus—sometimes called the Lord’s Prayer—includes traditional Middle Eastern percussion, rhythms, and improvisational modal chanting. All the Semitic 1anguages — including Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic — use a root system which allows one word to hold multiple meanings. Thus, a tradition of translation arose in the Middle East that led to each word of a prophet being considered on many different levels of meaning.
Abwoon d’bvashmayo, nethqadash shmok. Te-the malkutokh. Nehwй tseby o-nokh, aykano d’bvash’mayo of -ba’r‘o. Habv lan lahma d’sunqonan yow-mano, Washboqlan hawbйn w’kh-t’hйn, aykano dof h’nan shba-qn l’hayobйn. W’lo tahlan l’nesyun’eh, elo patson men bisho. Metol d’dilok hi malkutokh, w’haylo, w’teshbuh-to lo‘alam ‘o-l’min. Amйn.
O Birther! Father-Mother of the Cosmos, focus your light within us. Create your reign of unity now. Your one desire then acts with ours, as in all light, so in all forms. Grant what we need each day in bread and insight. Loose the cords of mistakes binding us, as we release the strands we hold of others’ guilt. Don’t let surface things delude us, but free us from what holds us back. 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 ground from which all our actions grow. Amen.
Abbun d'bishmayya yitqadesh shmakh titey malkhutakh tihey re`utakh heykhma debishmayya keyn af be’ar`a lachman deme’ar`a hab lan yoma deyn umachra ushbaq lan chobayn heykhma de’af shebaqnan lechayyabayn we’al ta`eylan lenisayuna ela atseylan min bisha
(Translation: Our Father, who is in heaven Sanctified be your Name! May your kingdom come; May your will be done, Just as it is in heaven, So also upon the earth. Our Bread, which is from the earth, Give us day by day. And forgive us our sins, Just as we should forgive our debtors. And do not bring us to trial, Rather deliver us from evil.