Farewell Service

Hymns, readings and a printed program for a Christian funeral

Revelation 20:11–21:1

A Catholic funeral reading (first reading in the Easter season), with the full text in the King James Version and the Douay-Rheims.

Reads in about 1 minute6 versesCatholic: New Testament (Easter season)

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King James Version

  1. 11And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.
  2. 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
  3. 13And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
  4. 14And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
  5. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.
  6. 1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.

Douay-Rheims

  1. 11And I saw a great white throne and one sitting upon it, from whose face the earth and heaven fled away: and there was no place found for them.
  2. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing in the presence of the throne. And the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
  3. 13And the sea gave up the dead that were in it: and death and hell gave up their dead that were in them. And they were judged, every one according to their works.
  4. 14And hell and death were cast into the pool of fire. This is the second death.
  5. 15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the pool of fire.
  6. 1And I saw a new heaven and a new earth. For the first heaven and the first earth was gone: and the sea is now no more.

Most Catholic parishes in the US read the New American Bible. Read Revelation 20 in the NABRE at usccb.org.

Where this reading is used

  • Catholic: New Testament (Easter season) (Lectionary for Mass, no. 1012)

Hymns based on it

Scripture: King James Version (1769 text) and Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision (Project Gutenberg #1581); both public domain. Citation as listed in the Lectionary for Mass.