Funeral reading
Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)
King James Bible
“Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)” by King James Bible is a prayer read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 20 seconds read aloud, usually by the officiant. 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
Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
The prayer of someone who is ready. Fits a death at the end of a long life.
Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: depart in peace · a long life completed · an old age death · very short · traditional.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)” take to read aloud?
“Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)” takes about 20 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 “Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)”?
Usually the officiant rather than a guest reader. “Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)” runs about 20 seconds, which sits inside the part of the service the officiant is already leading, and keeping it there means it is carried by the person who has rehearsed it.
Can “Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32)” 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.
Other readings that suit the same service
- The Lord's Prayer40 secondsMatthew 6, King James Bible
- In the Midst of Life (Book of Common Prayer, 1662)30 secondsBook of Common Prayer
- Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)10 secondsTraditional Catholic prayer
- El Malei Rachamima minute and a halfTraditional memorial prayer
- Mourner's Kaddisha minute and a halfTraditional, Aramaic
- Crossing the Bar55 secondsAlfred, Lord Tennyson