Sirach 23:5

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

1 O Lord, Father and Master of my life, do not abandon me to their designs, and do not let me fall because of them! 2 Who will set whips over my thoughts, and the discipline of wisdom over my mind, so as not to spare me in my errors, and not overlook my sins? 3 Otherwise my mistakes may be multiplied, and my sins may abound, and I may fall before my adversaries, and my enemy may rejoice over me. 4 O Lord, Father and God of my life, do not give me haughty eyes 5 and remove evil desire from me. 6 Let neither gluttony nor lust overcome me, and do not give me over to shameless passion.

Matthew 6:13

New Testament

7 When you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 So pray this way: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored, 10 may your kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread, 12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14 “For if you forgive others their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.

 Notes and References

"... The third Us-petition comes in verse 13. It has two parts. 'Do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one.' The translation in the NRSV of 'the time of trial' is preferable to 'temptation.' Hagner argues the translation should be 'testing' because God does not lead into temptation (James 1:13). God does, however, allow his people to be tested. 'To be tempted' is to be enticed to sin; 'to be tested' is to be brought into difficult circumstances that try one's faithfulness. The two are similar, since sin can result in either case; yet they are also to be differentiated, since the former has a negative purpose, the latter a positive one. 'The petition in this instance concerns severe testing that could eventuate in apostasy ... The disciple ... prays not to be led into such a situation, that is, not to be led into a testing in which his or her faith will not be able to survive' (compare 1 Corinthians 10: 13). Certain Jewish prayers are very similar to the two parts of the third petition. In 11 QPs Col XXIV 10, the prayer is voiced: 'Recognize me and do not forget me or lead me into difficulties.' In b. Berakoth 60a-60b, a prayer to be uttered before going to sleep includes 'do not make it my custom to do transgressions nor bring me into the power of sin, violation, temptation, or humiliation. May the impulse to do good control me and may the impulse to do evil not control me.' Jeremias says the causative 'bring me not' in the Lord's Prayer's closing petition has permissive sense: 'Do not let me fall victim.' James Charlesworth notes that the Old Syriac means 'do not allow us to enter temptation' ..."

Talbert, Charles H. Reading the Sermon on the Mount: Character Formation and Decision Making in Matthew 5-7 (p. 117) University of South Carolina Press, 2004

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