This translation is a bit wooden, but longer paraphrases do not bring out the remarkable way in which Paul has adapted the Shema (“Hear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one”) by making “Lord” refer to Jesus and “God” refer to “the father.” This prayer contains, in compressed form, a wealth of theology, but Paul’s point in quoting it here is to emphasize the practical outworking of creational monotheism.
