Funeral reading
2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1
King James Bible
“2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 50 seconds 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
For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
Paul’s second letter to Corinth is addressed, like the first, to “the church of God which is at Corinth”, and these verses come near its middle.
What it says
We do not lose heart. Though our outward self is wasting away, the inward self is being renewed day by day. Our light, momentary trouble is preparing a far greater weight of glory. We look not at what is seen, which is temporary, but at what is unseen, which is eternal. And if this earthly tent is taken down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For a body that failed long before the person did. Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: the inward man renewed · the body failing · a long decline · what is unseen.
Who it suits
A funeral after a long illness or a slow decline, where the family watched the outward self waste away. It suits families who want to hear that the person was still themselves inside. The house image suits a builder, architect or homemaker.
Where it goes in the ceremony
As a New Testament reading, before the address. Read by a family member, perhaps one who did the caring.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 107 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 50 seconds of reading.
- “We faint not” opens it. Read it with steady resolve.
- The outward and inward contrast is the heart. Pause between the two halves.
- The house not made with hands is the last image. Slow down and let it rest.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1” take to read aloud?
“2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1” takes about 50 seconds 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 “2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1” runs about 50 seconds, 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 “2 Corinthians 4:16–18, 5:1” 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.