Hebrew, then English. Open "What it means" under any line for the explanation.
In the Ten Days of Repentance (Rosh Hashanah to Yom Kippur), say these five:
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כָּתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר חַיִּים טוֹבִים.
Our Father, our King write us in the book of good life
What it means
The idea of God keeping a book is already in the Torah. After the golden calf, Moshe (Moses) says to God, "erase me from Your book that You wrote." Tehillim (Psalms) 69:29 speaks of being erased "from the book of life."
Shemot 32:31-32; Tehillim 69:29אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כָּתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר גְּאֻלָּה וִישׁוּעָה.
Our Father, our King write us in the book of redemption and rescue
What it means
These two words also close two Amidah blessings. The seventh ends "who redeems Israel" (same root as redemption). The fifteenth, about David's descendant, ends "who makes a horn of rescue sprout."
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, seventh and fifteenth blessingsאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כָּתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר פַּרְנָסָה וְכַלְכָּלָה.
Our Father, our King write us in the book of livelihood and support
What it means
The Gemara (the rabbis' discussions built on the Mishnah, an early book of Jewish law) says that what a person will have to live on is fixed between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. It lists exceptions: what you spend on Shabbat, on holidays, and on your children's Torah learning.
Beitzah 16aאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כָּתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר זְכֻיּוֹת.
Our Father, our King write us in the book of merits
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ כָּתְבֵנוּ בְּסֵפֶר סְלִיחָה וּמְחִילָה.
Our Father, our King write us in the book of forgiveness and pardon
On public fast days, say these five:
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכְרֵנוּ לְחַיִּים טוֹבִים.
Our Father, our King remember us for a good life
What it means
In the Ten Days, an extra line in the first blessing of the Amidah already uses both verbs: "Remember us for life, King who wants life, and write us in the Book of Life."
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, first blessing (Ten Days)אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכְרֵנוּ לִגְאֻלָּה וִישׁוּעָה.
Our Father, our King remember us for redemption and rescue
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכְרֵנוּ לְפַרְנָסָה וְכַלְכָּלָה.
Our Father, our King remember us for livelihood and support
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכְרֵנוּ לִזְכֻיּוֹת.
Our Father, our King remember us for merits
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכְרֵנוּ לִסְלִיחָה וּמְחִילָה.
Our Father, our King remember us for forgiveness and pardon
Whichever five apply to the day, continue:
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ הַצְמַח לָנוּ יְשׁוּעָה בְּקָרוֹב.
Our Father, our King make sprout for us a rescue soon
What it means
Our Father, our King, make rescue sprout for us soon.
This line and the next two borrow words from the Amidah blessing about David's descendant: "make the offshoot of David sprout," "may his horn be raised," and "a horn of rescue." That blessing has its own page.
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, fifteenth blessingאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ הָרֵם קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל עַמֶּךָ.
Our Father, our King lift up the horn of Israel, Your people
What it means
Our Father, our King, lift up the horn of Your people Israel.
Tehillim 148:14, one of the morning psalms of praise, uses the same two words: "He raised a horn for His people." In the verse, God is the one who does the raising.
Tehillim 148:14אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ הָרֵם קֶרֶן מְשִׁיחֶךָ.
Our Father, our King lift up the horn of Your anointed
What it means
In Shmuel I 16:13, the prophet Shmuel takes "the horn of oil" and anoints David.
Shmuel I 16:13אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ מַלֵּא יָדֵינוּ מִבִּרְכוֹתֶיךָ.
Our Father, our King fill our hands from Your blessings
What it means
In the Torah, "fill the hand" is the phrase for appointing Aharon (Aaron) and his sons as priests. Rashi (the main medieval commentator on the Torah) reads it as their appointment. This line goes on "from Your blessings," so it asks for hands full of them.
Shemot 29:9, with Rashiאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ מַלֵּא אֲסָמֵינוּ שָׂבָע.
Our Father, our King fill our storehouses with plenty
What it means
Mishlei (Proverbs) 3:10 says, "your barns will be filled with plenty." This line uses the verse's words for barns and plenty.
Mishlei 3:10אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ שְׁמַע קוֹלֵנוּ חוּס וְרַחֵם עָלֵינוּ.
Our Father, our King hear our voice have pity and have compassion on us
What it means
Our Father, our King, hear our voice. Have pity and compassion on us.
This line and the next are nearly word for word from the Amidah's Shema Koleinu blessing: "hear our voice ... have pity and compassion on us, and accept our prayer with compassion and with favor." That blessing has its own page.
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, sixteenth blessingאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ קַבֵּל בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָצוֹן אֶת תְּפִלָּתֵנוּ.
Our Father, our King accept with compassion and favor our prayer
What it means
Our Father, our King, accept our prayer with compassion and with favor.
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ פְּתַח שַׁעֲרֵי שָׁמַיִם לִתְפִלָּתֵנוּ.
Our Father, our King open the gates of heaven to our prayer
What it means
In the Torah, the "gate of heaven" comes from Yaakov's dream. He wakes and says, "This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."
Bereishit 28:17אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ זָכוֹר כִּי עָפָר אֲנָחְנוּ.
Our Father, our King remember that we are dust
What it means
This line is nearly Tehillim 103:14: "He knows how we are formed; He is mindful that we are dust." In the verse the word is zakhur, "is mindful." The prayer turns it into a request: zakhor, "remember."
Tehillim 103:14אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ נָא אַל תְּשִׁיבֵנוּ רֵיקָם מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.
Our Father, our King please do not send us back empty-handed from before You
What it means
These words come from the Amidah's Shema Koleinu blessing: "and from before You, our King, do not send us back empty-handed."
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, sixteenth blessingאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ תְּהֵא הַשָּׁעָה הַזֹּאת שְׁעַת רַחֲמִים וְעֵת רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ.
Our Father, our King let it be this hour an hour of compassion and a time of favor before You
What it means
Our Father, our King, let this hour be an hour of compassion and a time of favor before You.
Tehillim 69:14 says, "my prayer to You, Hashem, at a time of favor." The Gemara asks when that is and answers: when the community prays.
Tehillim 69:14; Berakhot 8aאָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ חֲמוֹל עָלֵינוּ וְעַל עוֹלָלֵינוּ וְטַפֵּנוּ.
Our Father, our King have pity on us and on our young children and our little ones
What it means
The prophet Yoel (Joel) describes a public fast: "Blow a horn in Zion, sanctify a fast." He says to gather the whole community, even the children and "the babies at the breast." This line asks for pity on them too.
Yoel 2:15-16אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן הֲרוּגִים עַל שֵׁם קָדְשֶׁךָ.
Our Father, our King act for the sake of those killed for Your holy Name
What it means
Our Father, our King, act for the sake of those who were killed for Your holy Name.
Tehillim 44:23 uses the same two roots as this line and the next, killed (harag) and slaughter (tevach): "For Your sake we are killed all day long; we are treated like sheep for slaughter."
Tehillim 44:23אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן טְבוּחִים עַל יִחוּדֶךָ.
Our Father, our King act for the sake of those slaughtered for Your oneness
What it means
Our Father, our King, act for the sake of those who were slaughtered for Your oneness.
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן בָּאֵי בָאֵשׁ וּבַמַּיִם עַל קִדּוּשׁ שְׁמֶךָ.
Our Father, our King act for the sake of those who went into fire and water for the sanctifying of Your name
What it means
Our Father, our King, act for the sake of those who went into fire and water to sanctify Your name.
"Sanctifying the Name" (kiddush Hashem) comes from Vayikra 22:32: "I will be sanctified among the children of Israel." The Rambam (Maimonides, who wrote the great code of Jewish law and died in 1204) says the whole Jewish people are commanded to do this, and cites that verse.
Vayikra 22:32; Rambam, Foundations of the Torah 5:1אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ נְקוֹם לְעֵינֵינוּ נִקְמַת דַּם עֲבָדֶיךָ הַשָּׁפוּךְ.
Our Father, our King take vengeance before our eyes for the blood of Your servants that was spilled
What it means
This line is almost word for word Tehillim 79:10: "Before our eyes let it be known among the nations that You avenge the spilled blood of Your servants." The request is made to God. In the Torah God says, "Mine are vengeance and repayment" (Devarim 32:35).
Tehillim 79:10; Devarim 32:35אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַנְךָ אִם לֺא לְמַעֲנֵנוּ.
Our Father, our King act for Your sake if not for ours
What it means
Our Father, our King, act for Your own sake, if not for ours.
Hallel, the psalms of praise said on holidays, has a similar turn away from ourselves in Tehillim 115:1: "Not to us, Hashem, not to us, but to Your name give glory."
Tehillim 115:1אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַנְךָ וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ.
Our Father, our King act for Your sake and save us
What it means
Our Father, our King, act for Your own sake, and save us.
אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן רַחֲמֶיךָ הָרַבִּים.
Our Father, our King act for the sake of Your many mercies
What it means
David (Israel's second king) is given a choice of three punishments, including famine and plague. He answers, "Let us fall into Hashem's hand, for His mercies are many."
Shmuel II 24:13-14אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ עֲשֵׂה לְמַעַן שִׁמְךָ הַגָּדוֹל הַגִּבּוֹר וְהַנּוֹרָא שֶׁנִּקְרָא עָלֵינוּ.
Our Father, our King act for the sake of Your name the great, the mighty and the awesome that is called on us
What it means
"Called on us" echoes Yirmeyahu (Jeremiah) 14:9, "Your name is called on us," and Devarim 28:10, where all peoples will see that "Hashem's name is called on you." "The great, the mighty and the awesome" are the words for God in the Amidah's first blessing.
Yirmeyahu 14:9; Devarim 28:10אָבִינוּ מַלְכֵּנוּ חָנֵּנוּ וַעֲנֵנוּ כִּי אֵין בָּנוּ מַעֲשִׂים עֲשֵׂה עִמָּנוּ צְדָקָה וָחֶסֶד וְהוֹשִׁיעֵנוּ.
Our Father, our King be gracious to us and answer us for we have no good deeds deal with us with charity and kindness and save us
What it means
Our Father, our King, be gracious to us and answer us, for we have no good deeds. Deal with us in charity and kindness, and save us.
"Be gracious to us and answer us" is also in the Amidah's Shema Koleinu blessing. The Rambam's text of Tachanun (the plea said after the Amidah) has almost the same sentence: "We have no good deeds. Deal with us in charity for Your name's sake, and save us."
Siddur Sefard, Amidah, sixteenth blessing; Rambam, Order of Prayer 2:34