Wedding reading
Matthew 19:4–6
King James Bible
“Matthew 19:4–6” by King James Bible is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 25 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
And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
Where "let no man put asunder" comes from.
Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: one flesh · joined together · the traditional wedding gospel · very short.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Matthew 19:4–6” take to read aloud?
“Matthew 19:4–6” takes about 25 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 “Matthew 19:4–6”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Matthew 19:4–6” runs about 25 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 “Matthew 19:4–6” 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.