Wedding reading
Genesis 2:18–24
King James Bible
“Genesis 2:18–24” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. 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
And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
The last verse of this passage is the one Jesus quotes when he is asked about marriage in Matthew 19, which is why so many Christian services return to it.
What it says
This is the second creation story, and it starts with something being wrong: the man is alone, and that is the first thing in Genesis called not good. The animals are brought to him and named, but none of them is a companion. The woman is made from his side, and when he sees her his first words are delight and recognition. The passage ends with the line about leaving father and mother and becoming one flesh, which is the founding text for marriage as a new household.
The oldest answer to why anyone marries: it is not good to be alone. Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: creation · companionship · not being alone · one flesh · leaving home.
Who it suits
Traditional Christian and Jewish weddings, and families who want the oldest possible reading about marriage. It reads well for a couple marrying later in life, after years of being single, because its subject is the end of loneliness. Some couples find the rib and helpmeet language dated or one-sided, and it does not fit a same-sex wedding without a conversation first.
Where it goes in the ceremony
Usually the first reading, because it is the earliest text in the Bible and sets up a New Testament reading that follows. Read by a family member, often a parent or grandparent of one of the couple. It runs longer than people expect, so do not pair it with two more readings.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 200 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.
- The middle verses are a catalog of animals. Keep them brisk and light; the passage wakes up again at the deep sleep.
- “This is now bone of my bones” is spoken by Adam, and it is the emotional peak. Read it as speech, a little warmer than the narration around it.
- Say “an help meet” as the King James prints it, or agree with the couple in advance to read “a helper fit for him”. Correcting it mid-reading draws more attention than either choice.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Genesis 2:18–24” take to read aloud?
“Genesis 2:18–24” 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 “Genesis 2:18–24”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Genesis 2:18–24” 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 “Genesis 2:18–24” 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.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Matthew 19:4–635 secondsJesus quoting this passage, in under forty seconds
- Mark 10:6–930 secondsThe same teaching in Mark’s shorter wording
- Tobit 8:5–850 secondsA wedding-night prayer that looks back to Adam and Eve
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a45 secondsKing James Bible
- 1 Corinthians 13:1–13two minutesKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible