Funeral reading
1 Thessalonians 4:13–18
King James Bible
“1 Thessalonians 4:13–18” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about a minute and a half read aloud, usually by a guest reader. It is in the public domain, so the full text is printed on this page and goes straight into a ceremony script.
The full text
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
1 Thessalonians is addressed by “Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians”.
What it says
Paul does not want his readers to be ignorant about those who are asleep, or to grieve as others do who have no hope. Since Jesus died and rose, God will bring with him those who have died. The passage describes the Lord descending with a shout and a trumpet, the dead rising first, and the living meeting them, so that all will be with the Lord for ever. It ends: comfort one another with these words.
Ends with an instruction: comfort one another with these words. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: sorrow with hope · the dead in Christ · comfort one another · reunion.
Who it suits
Christian funerals where the family is grieving hard and needs permission to grieve with hope. It suits evangelical and Protestant services especially. The reunion image speaks to families who want to believe they will see the person again.
Where it goes in the ceremony
As the New Testament reading, or the reading just before the committal. A family member or minister reads it.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 152 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about a minute and a half of reading.
- “That ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope” is often misheard as “do not grieve”. Read it so the room hears the second half.
- The trumpet and shout section is vivid. Give it energy without performing.
- End on “comfort one another with these words” and look at the family.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “1 Thessalonians 4:13–18” take to read aloud?
“1 Thessalonians 4:13–18” takes about a minute and a half read aloud at a ceremony pace, which is slower than conversation — roughly 130 words a minute. That is the figure the run-sheet uses when it works out the timing for the whole service.
Who usually reads “1 Thessalonians 4:13–18”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “1 Thessalonians 4:13–18” runs about a minute and a half, which is a manageable amount to hand to a friend or family member. Give them a printed copy of their own, in a size they can read without their glasses, and tell them where to stand and how you will introduce them.
Can “1 Thessalonians 4:13–18” be printed in a ceremony script?
Yes. It is in the public domain, so the full text is on this page and can be printed in a script or an order of service.
Where this text was checked
Checked word for word against a full-text edition that is itself the authority — a Project Gutenberg or Wikisource transcription, a publisher’s own edition, or the issuing body’s page.
Checked
A reading is two minutes of the hour.
The rest is the welcome, the life, the remembrances, the committal — and knowing what comes next. Answer some questions about them and get the whole service, written out, with this reading in its place.
Other readings that suit the same service
- 1 Corinthians 15:51–57a minute and a halfThe trumpet and the change, in another letter
- John 14:1–6, 27a minute and a halfI will come again and receive you
- Revelation 21:1–5aa minute and a halfThe new Jerusalem and an end to tears
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible
- 1 John 4:7–12a minute and a halfKing James Bible
- Psalm 10040 secondsKing James Bible