Funeral reading
Job 19:23–27
King James Bible
“Job 19:23–27” by King James Bible is a scripture reading read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 40 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
Oh that my words were now written! oh that they were printed in a book! That they were graven with an iron pen and lead in the rock for ever! For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Job says it from the worst place a person can say it from.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: I know that my redeemer liveth · defiance in grief · resurrection · suffering.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Job 19:23–27” take to read aloud?
“Job 19:23–27” takes about 40 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 “Job 19:23–27”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Job 19:23–27” runs about 40 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 “Job 19:23–27” 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.