Wedding Readings

The First Lesson

Genesis 1:26-28

A Reading from the Book of Genesis.

²⁶Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” ²⁷So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. ²⁸God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”

Genesis 2:4-9, 15-24

A Reading from the Book of Genesis.

⁴These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created. In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵when no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no one to till the ground; ⁶but a stream would rise from the earth, and water the whole face of the ground— ⁷then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being. ⁸And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. ⁹Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ¹⁵The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. ¹⁶And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; ¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.” ¹⁸Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner.” ¹⁹So out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. ²⁰The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper as his partner. ²¹So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. ²²And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. ²³Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called Woman, for out of Man this one was taken.” ²⁴Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Song of Solomon 2:10-13; 8:6-7

A Reading from the Song of Songs.

⁶Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for love is strong as death, passion fierce as the grave. Its flashes are flashes of fire, a raging flame. ⁷Many waters cannot quench love, neither can floods drown it. If one offered for love all the wealth of his house, it would be utterly scorned.

Tobit 8:5b-8

A Reading from the Book of Tobit.

⁵So she got up, and they began to pray and implore that they might be kept safe. Tobias began by saying, ‘Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors, and blessed is your name in all generations for ever. Let the heavens and the whole creation bless you for ever. ⁶ You made Adam, and for him you made his wife Eve as a helper and support. From the two of them the human race has sprung. You said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; let us make a helper for him like himself.” ⁷ I now am taking this kinswoman of mine, not because of lust, but with sincerity. Grant that she and I may find mercy and that we may grow old together.’ ⁸And they both said, ‘Amen, Amen.’

Ruth 1:16–17

A Reading from the Book of Ruth.

¹⁶But Ruth said, “Do not press me to leave you or to turn back from following you! Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God. ¹⁷Where you die, I will die— there will I be buried. May the Lord do thus and so to me, and more as well, if even death parts me from you!”

1 Samuel 18:1b, 3; 20:16–17; 42a

A Reading from the First Book of Samuel.

¹When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. ¹⁶Thus Jonathan made a covenant with the house of David, saying, “May the Lord seek out the enemies of David.” ¹⁷Jonathan made David swear again by his love for him; for he loved him as he loved his own life. ⁴²Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, since both of us have sworn in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my descendants and your descendants, forever.’” He got up and left; and Jonathan went into the city.

1 Samuel 18:1-4

A Reading from the First Book of Samuel.

¹When David had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was bound to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. ²Saul took him that day and would not let him return to his father’s house. ³Then Jonathan made a covenant with David, because he loved him as his own soul. ⁴Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that he was wearing, and gave it to David, and his armor, and even his sword and his bow and his belt.

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

A Reading from the Book of Ecclesiastes.

⁹Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰For if they fall, one will lift up the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. ¹¹Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? ¹²And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Song of Solomon 2:10–13; 8:6–7

A Reading from the Song of Songs.

Micah 4:1-4

A Reading from the Book of Micah.

¹In days to come the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised up above the hills. Peoples shall stream to it, ²and many nations shall come and say: “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. ³He shall judge between many peoples, and shall arbitrate between strong nations far away; they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more; ⁴but they shall all sit under their own vines and under their own fig trees, and no one shall make them afraid; for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken.

The Psalm

65

Te decet hymnusBCP p. 672

¹You are to be praised, O God, in Zion; *to you shall vows be performed in Jerusalem.

²To you that hear prayer shall all flesh come, *because of their transgressions.

³Our sins are stronger than we are, *but you will blot them out.

⁴Happy are they whom you choose and draw to your courts to dwell there! *they will be satisfied by the beauty of your house, by the holiness of your temple.

⁵Awesome things will you show us in your righteousness, O God of our salvation, *O Hope of all the ends of the earth and of the seas that are far away.

⁶You make fast the mountains by your power; *they are girded about with might.

⁷You still the roaring of the seas, *the roaring of their waves, and the clamor of the peoples.

⁸Those who dwell at the ends of the earth will tremble at your marvelous signs; *you make the dawn and the dusk to sing for joy.

⁹You visit the earth and water it abundantly; you make it very plenteous; *the river of God is full of water.

¹⁰You prepare the grain, *for so you provide for the earth.

¹¹You drench the furrows and smooth out the ridges; *with heavy rain you soften the ground and bless its increase.

¹²You crown the year with your goodness, *and your paths overflow with plenty.

¹³May the fields of the wilderness be rich for grazing, *and the hills be clothed with joy.

¹⁴May the meadows cover themselves with flocks, and the valleys cloak themselves with grain; *let them shout for joy and sing.

67

Deus misereaturBCP p. 675

¹May God be merciful to us and bless us, *show us the light of his countenance and come to us.

²Let your ways be known upon earth, *your saving health among all nations.

³Let the peoples praise you, O God; *let all the peoples praise you.

⁴Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, *for you judge the peoples with equity and guide all the nations upon earth.

⁵Let the peoples praise you, O God; *let all the peoples praise you.

⁶The earth has brought forth her increase; *may God, our own God, give us his blessing.

⁷May God give us his blessing, *and may all the ends of the earth stand in awe of him.

85

Benedixisti, DomineBCP p. 708

⁷Show us your mercy, O Lord, *and grant us your salvation.

⁸I will listen to what the Lord God is saying, *for he is speaking peace to his faithful people and to those who turn their hearts to him.

⁹Truly, his salvation is very near to those who fear him, *that his glory may dwell in our land.

¹⁰Mercy and truth have met together; *righteousness and peace have kissed each other.

¹¹Truth shall spring up from the earth, *and righteousness shall look down from heaven.

¹²The Lord will indeed grant prosperity, *and our land will yield its increase.

¹³Righteousness shall go before him, *and peace shall be a pathway for his feet.

98

Cantate DominoBCP p. 727

¹Sing to the Lord a new song, *for he has done marvelous things.

²With his right hand and his holy arm *has he won for himself the victory.

³The Lord has made known his victory; *his righteousness has he openly shown in the sight of the nations.

⁴He remembers his mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel, *and all the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God.

⁵Shout with joy to the Lord, all you lands; *lift up your voice, rejoice, and sing.

⁶Sing to the Lord with the harp, *with the harp and the voice of song.

⁷With trumpets and the sound of the horn *shout with joy before the King, the Lord.

⁸Let the sea make a noise and all that is in it, *the lands and those who dwell therein.

⁹Let the rivers clap their hands, *and let the hills ring out with joy before the Lord, when he comes to judge the earth.

¹⁰In righteousness shall he judge the world *and the peoples with equity.

100

Jubilate DeoBCP p. 729

¹Be joyful in the Lord, all you lands; *serve the Lord with gladness and come before his presence with a song.

²Know this: The Lord himself is God; *he himself has made us, and we are his; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture.

³Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise; *give thanks to him and call upon his Name.

⁴For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; *and his faithfulness endures from age to age.

126

In convertendoBCP p. 782

¹When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, *then were we like those who dream.

²Then was our mouth filled with laughter, *and our tongue with shouts of joy.

³Then they said among the nations, *“The Lord has done great things for them.”

⁴The Lord has done great things for us, *and we are glad indeed.

⁵Restore our fortunes, O Lord, *like the watercourses of the Negev.

⁶Those who sowed with tears *will reap with songs of joy.

⁷Those who go out weeping, carrying the seed, *will come again with joy, shouldering their sheaves.

127

Nisi DominusBCP p. 782

¹Unless the Lord builds the house, *their labor is in vain who build it.

²Unless the Lord watches over the city, *in vain the watchman keeps his vigil.

³It is in vain that you rise so early and go to bed so late; *vain, too, to eat the bread of toil, for he gives to his beloved sleep.

⁴Children are a heritage from the Lord, *and the fruit of the womb is a gift.

⁵Like arrows in the hand of a warrior *are the children of one’s youth.

⁶Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them! *he shall not be put to shame when he contends with his enemies in the gate.

128

Beati omnesBCP p. 783

¹Happy are they all who fear the Lord, *and who follow in his ways!

²You shall eat the fruit of your labor; *happiness and prosperity shall be yours.

³Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine within your house, *your children like olive shoots round about your table.

⁴The man who fears the Lord *shall thus indeed be blessed.

⁵The Lord bless you from Zion, *and may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem all the days of your life.

⁶May you live to see your children’s children; *may peace be upon Israel.

133

Ecce, quam bonum!BCP p. 787

¹Oh, how good and pleasant it is, *when brethren live together in unity!

²It is like fine oil upon the head *that runs down upon the beard,

³Upon the beard of Aaron, *and runs down upon the collar of his robe.

⁴It is like the dew of Hermon *that falls upon the hills of Zion.

⁵For there the Lord has ordained the blessing: *life for evermore.

148

Laudate DominumBCP p. 805

¹Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; *praise him in the heights.

²Praise him, all you angels of his; *praise him, all his host.

³Praise him, sun and moon; *praise him, all you shining stars.

⁴Praise him, heaven of heavens, *and you waters above the heavens.

⁵Let them praise the Name of the Lord; *for he commanded, and they were created.

⁶He made them stand fast for ever and ever; *he gave them a law which shall not pass away.

⁷Praise the Lord from the earth, *you sea-monsters and all deeps;

⁸Fire and hail, snow and fog, *tempestuous wind, doing his will;

⁹Mountains and all hills, *fruit trees and all cedars;

¹⁰Wild beasts and all cattle, *creeping things and wingèd birds;

¹¹Kings of the earth and all peoples, *princes and all rulers of the world;

¹²Young men and maidens, *old and young together.

¹³Let them praise the Name of the Lord, *for his Name only is exalted, his splendor is over earth and heaven.

¹⁴He has raised up strength for his people and praise for all his loyal servants, *the children of Israel, a people who are near him. Hallelujah!

149

Cantate DominoBCP p. 807

¹Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song; *sing his praise in the congregation of the faithful.

²Let Israel rejoice in his Maker; *let the children of Zion be joyful in their King.

³Let them praise his Name in the dance; *let them sing praise to him with timbrel and harp.

⁴For the Lord takes pleasure in his people *and adorns the poor with victory.

⁵Let the faithful rejoice in triumph; *let them be joyful on their beds.

The Second Lesson

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

A Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians.

¹If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

1 Corinthians 12:31b–13:13

A Reading from the First Letter to the Corinthians.

³¹But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way. ¹If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. ⁴Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. ⁸Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

Ephesians 3:14-19

A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians.

¹⁴For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, ¹⁵from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. ¹⁶I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, ¹⁷and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. ¹⁸I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, ¹⁹and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

Ephesians 3:14–21

A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 5:1-2, 21-33

A Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians.

¹Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ²and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. ²¹Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²²Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. ²³For the husband is the head of the wife just as Christ is the head of the church, the body of which he is the Savior. ²⁴Just as the church is subject to Christ, so also wives ought to be, in everything, to their husbands. ²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, ²⁶in order to make her holy by cleansing her with the washing of water by the word, ²⁷so as to present the church to himself in splendor, without a spot or wrinkle or anything of the kind—yes, so that she may be holy and without blemish. ²⁸In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹For no one ever hates his own body, but he nourishes and tenderly cares for it, just as Christ does for the church, ³⁰because we are members of his body. ³¹“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³²This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the church. ³³Each of you, however, should love his wife as himself, and a wife should respect her husband.

Colossians 3:12-17

A Reading from the Letter to the Colossians.

¹²As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful. ¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God. ¹⁷And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

1 John 4:7-16

A Reading from the First Letter of John.

⁷Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹God’s love was revealed among us in this way: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might live through him. ¹⁰In this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Beloved, since God loved us so much, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us. ¹³By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and do testify that the Father has sent his Son as the Savior of the world. ¹⁵God abides in those who confess that Jesus is the Son of God, and they abide in God. ¹⁶So we have known and believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

Romans 12:9–18

A Reading from the Letter to the Romans.

⁹Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; ¹⁰love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor. ¹¹Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord. ¹²Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. ¹³Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers. ¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. ¹⁸If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.

2 Corinthians 5:17–20

A Reading from the Second Letter to the Corinthians.

¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! ¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

Galatians 5:14, 22–26

A Reading from the Letter to the Galatians.

¹⁴For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” ²²By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, ²³gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. ²⁴And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. ²⁶Let us not become conceited, competing against one another, envying one another.

1 John 3:18–24

A Reading from the First Letter of John.

¹⁸Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. ¹⁹And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him ²⁰whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; ²²and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. ²³And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. ²⁴All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.

1 John 4:7–16, 21

A Reading from the First Letter of John.