Wedding reading
Tobit 8:5–8
King James Bible
“Tobit 8:5–8” (King James Bible) is a scripture reading read at a wedding ceremony. It takes about 50 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
Then began Tobias to say, Blessed art thou, O God of our fathers, and blessed is thy holy and glorious name for ever; let the heavens bless thee, and all thy creatures. Thou madest Adam, and gavest him Eve his wife for an helper and stay: of them came mankind: thou hast said, It is not good that man should be alone; let us make unto him an aid like unto himself. And now, O Lord, I take not this my sister for lust, but uprightly: therefore mercifully ordain that we may become aged together. And she said with him, Amen.
Public domain, so these words can be printed in a ceremony script or an order of service.
Where it comes from
The contents page of the King James Bible lists Tobit among “The Books called Apocrypha”, printed between the two Testaments. Catholic Bibles count it as scripture: the Bible published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops lists Tobit among the Old Testament books. In Tobit, these verses are the prayer Tobias says with Sara on their wedding night, after he rises and tells her to get up so they can pray together.
What it says
On their wedding night, Tobias and Sara stand up and pray before anything else. Tobias blesses God, remembers that Adam was given Eve as a helper and support, and says that he takes Sara not out of lust but uprightly. He asks for mercy so that they may grow old together. Sara answers simply: Amen.
The Catholic favorite — "that we may become aged together." Read at a wedding ceremony. Themes: growing old together · a prayer on the wedding night · the deuterocanonical wedding reading.
Who it suits
Catholic weddings, where it is a familiar Old Testament choice, and any couple who want a reading in which the two of them speak. Couples marrying later in life like the closing wish to grow old together. Protestant families may not know the book, so the officiant can introduce it.
Where it goes in the ceremony
The Old Testament reading in a Catholic Mass or ceremony. It can be read by the couple themselves, one taking Tobias’s words and both saying the final Amen.
Reading it aloud
The text on this page is 101 words. At a ceremony pace of about 130 words a minute, which is slower than conversation, that comes to about 45 seconds of reading.
- Most of it is Tobias praying. Read it as a personal prayer, quietly, not as a proclamation.
- The line about not taking her for lust can get a nervous laugh; read it plainly and it passes.
- If the couple reads it, rehearse the shared “Amen” so it lands together.
Questions about reading it aloud
How long does “Tobit 8:5–8” take to read aloud?
“Tobit 8:5–8” takes about 50 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 “Tobit 8:5–8”?
Usually a guest reader rather than the officiant. “Tobit 8:5–8” runs about 50 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 “Tobit 8:5–8” 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.
Other readings that suit the same service
- Genesis 2:18–24a minute and a halfThe creation passage Tobias recalls
- Psalm 12850 secondsA blessing on a long, fruitful household
- Song of Solomon 8:6–735 secondsAnother reading for a Catholic nuptial Mass
- 1 Corinthians 13:4–8a45 secondsKing James Bible
- 1 Corinthians 13:1–13two minutesKing James Bible
- Ruth 1:16–17a30 secondsKing James Bible