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Prayers

Orthodox prayers to bless your children

Short blessings a mother or father can say over a child at bedtime, at the school gate or when the child leaves home.

Picture: Fritz von Uhde, Let the Little Children Come to Me, 1884

3 prayers

With the sign of the cross

Short prayer for blessing children

Plain English only: no traditional English wording is given for this prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God,bless, make holy and keep safeby the power of Your life-giving Cross.

Make the sign of the cross over the child

Russian prayer books give parents this one line to say as they make the sign of the cross over a child. It is short enough for every goodnight and every goodbye at the door.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Church Slavonic of the Russian prayer book. How the wording is made.

Where it comes from, and the Church Slavonic

God’s own words of blessing

Priestly blessing

The LORD bless you and keep you;the LORD make His face shine on youand be gracious to you;the LORD turn His face toward youand give you peace.

Traditional wording, 1611

The LORD bless thee, and keep thee:The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee:The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

God gave these words to Aaron and his sons to speak over Israel (Numbers 6:22-27). Jewish parents have long said them over their children, a custom any parent can take up.

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

Where the King James Version has “lift up His countenance upon thee,” the plain wording says “turn His face toward you.”

Where it comes from, and the original

A grandfather’s blessing

Jacob’s blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh

May God, before Whom my fathersAbraham and Isaac walked,the God Who has shepherded meall my life to this day,the angel who has redeemed me from all harm,bless these children.

May they be called by my nameand by the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac,and may they grow into a multitudeon the earth.

Traditional wording, 1611

God, before Whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk,the God Which fed me all my life long unto this day,The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads;

and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac;and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.

Old Jacob laid his hands on Joseph’s two sons and asked the God Who had shepherded him all his life to bless them (Genesis 48:14-16). Then he said Israel would bless with their names: “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh” (Genesis 48:20).

Plain English by Wiser Walk, from the Hebrew, with the King James Version beside it. How the wording is made. Traditional wording: The King James translators, The King James Version, 1611.

Where the King James Version says God “fed” Jacob, the Hebrew word is a shepherd’s, and the plain wording says “shepherded.” Jacob blessed his grandsons, “the boys”; the plain wording says “children” so that any parent can pray it over a son or a daughter.

Where it comes from, and the original

Scripture for this

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. And the disciples rebuked those who brought them. 14But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not hinder them! For the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15And after He had placed His hands on them, He went on from there.

Matthew 19:13-15 Little children were brought to Jesus for Him to place His hands on them and pray, and He would not let them be turned away.

3“May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a company of peoples. 4And may He give the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants, so that you may possess the land where you dwell as a foreigner, the land God gave to Abraham.”

Genesis 28:3-4 Isaac blessed his son Jacob as Jacob set out from home.

20By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning the future. 21By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph’s sons and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

Hebrews 11:20-21 By faith Isaac blessed his sons, and by faith the dying Jacob blessed each of Joseph’s sons.

Then all the people departed for their homes, and David returned home to bless his household.

1 Chronicles 16:43 After bringing the ark to Jerusalem, King David went home to bless his household.

14May the LORD give you increase, both you and your children. 15May you be blessed by the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalm 115:14-15 The psalm asks the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth, to bless you and give increase to you and your children.

Bible text: Berean Standard Bible, public domain.

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