Funeral reading
Revelation 14:13
King James Bible
“Revelation 14:13” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a funeral or memorial service. It takes about 20 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 I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
Revelation 14 sets this verse as words the writer hears from a voice from heaven telling him to write them down.
What it says
Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. Yes, says the Spirit, they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them. One verse, with two comforts in it: rest after a working life, and the good the person did continuing after them.
One verse. "That they may rest from their labours." Read at a funeral or memorial service. Themes: rest from their labours · a working life · very short · their works follow them.
Who it suits
Funerals for hard workers, farmers, nurses, teachers and anyone whose work is their legacy. It is short enough for a graveside service or to sit beside a longer reading, and short enough to print on a memorial card.
Where it goes in the ceremony
At the graveside just before the committal, or as the officiant’s words before the commendation. Usually read by the officiant.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 39 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 20 seconds of reading.
- Twenty seconds. Read it very slowly, almost twice as slow as speech.
- “That they may rest from their labours” is the center. Pause there.
- “Their works do follow them” is the close. Look at the family as you say it.
- Before reading, you might name two or three concrete things the person built, mended, grew or taught: a kitchen table, a garden, a classroom of former pupils. The verse then points at things everyone present has seen and touched.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Revelation 14:13” take to read aloud?
“Revelation 14:13” 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 “Revelation 14:13”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Revelation 14:13” runs about 20 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 “Revelation 14:13” 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
- Matthew 11:28–3025 secondsRest for the weary
- Revelation 21:1–5aa minute and a halfThe same book’s vision of a new heaven and earth
- Eternal Rest (Requiem aeternam)10 secondsA one-line prayer for rest
- 2 Timothy 4:6–835 secondsKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible
- 1 John 4:7–12a minute and a halfKing James Bible