Wedding reading
Song of Solomon 2:10–13
King James Bible
“Song of Solomon 2:10–13” by King James Bible is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. 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
My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away. For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land; The fig tree putteth forth her green figs, and the vines with the tender grape give a good smell. Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
What it is about
The one that sounds like a love letter, because it is one.
Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: spring · longing · beauty · invitation · an outdoor wedding.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Song of Solomon 2:10–13” take to read aloud?
“Song of Solomon 2:10–13” 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 “Song of Solomon 2:10–13”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Song of Solomon 2:10–13” 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 “Song of Solomon 2:10–13” 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 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.