Wedding reading
Ecclesiastes 4:9–12
King James Bible
“Ecclesiastes 4:9–12” by King James Bible is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 35 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
Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Plain and practical. Works at a service with almost no religious framing.
Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: partnership · practical love · holding each other up · a threefold cord · short reading.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Ecclesiastes 4:9–12” take to read aloud?
“Ecclesiastes 4:9–12” takes about 35 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 4:9–12”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Ecclesiastes 4:9–12” runs about 35 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 4:9–12” 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 vows, the ring exchange, the pronouncement — and the timing that holds them together. Answer some questions about the couple and get the whole ceremony, written out, with this reading in its place.