Funeral reading
Ecclesiastes 3:1–8
King James Bible
“Ecclesiastes 3:1–8” by 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
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Reads as well at a secular service as a religious one. Everyone knows it.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: a time to every purpose · seasons · weeping and laughing · acceptance · a natural death.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Ecclesiastes 3:1–8” take to read aloud?
“Ecclesiastes 3:1–8” 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 “Ecclesiastes 3:1–8”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Ecclesiastes 3:1–8” 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 “Ecclesiastes 3:1–8” 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.