OfficiantScript

Funeral reading

Job 19:23–27

King James Bible

“Job 19:23–27” (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

about 40 secondsguest
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.

Where it comes from

In the Book of Job these words come from Job himself, in his reply to Bildad, after he has lost his children, his wealth and his health. Handel set “I know that my Redeemer liveth” as the soprano air that opens Part III of Messiah.

What it says

Job wishes his words could be written down, carved into rock with an iron pen so they last. Then he says what he wants recorded: I know that my redeemer lives, and that he will stand at the last upon the earth, and though worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh I shall see God, with my own eyes. It is faith spoken at the bottom of suffering, by a man who has lost everything and still says it.

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.

Who it suits

A funeral after a long and painful illness, where the person’s faith held to the end. It suits families who know the Messiah setting, and services where the family wants the hope of resurrection stated plainly.

Where it goes in the ceremony

As the first reading in a traditional funeral. A family member reads it, or the officiant reads it before the commendation.

Reading it aloud

The text on this page is 87 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 40 seconds of reading.

  • The opening wish about words carved in rock is urgent. Read it with intensity.
  • “I know that my redeemer liveth” is the turning point. Pause, then say it with certainty.
  • The line about worms can startle. Do not soften or skip it; read it plainly and it passes.

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

gutenberg.org

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.

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