Farewell Service

Hymns, readings and a printed program for a Christian funeral

Revelation 21:1–5a, 6b–7

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 2 minutes7 versesCatholic: New Testament (Easter season)

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King James Version

  1. 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.
  2. 2And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
  3. 3And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.
  4. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
  5. 5And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.
  6. 6And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
  7. 7He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.

Douay-Rheims

  1. 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.
  2. 2And I, John, saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
  3. 3And I heard a great voice from the throne, saying: Behold the tabernacle of God with men: and he will dwell with them. And they shall be his people: and God himself with them shall be their God.
  4. 4And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes: and death shall be no more. Nor mourning, nor crying, nor sorrow shall be any more, for the former things are passed away.
  5. 5And he that sat on the throne, said: Behold, I make all things new. And he said to me: Write. For these words are most faithful and true.
  6. 6And he said to me: It is done. I am Alpha and Omega: the Beginning and the End. To him that thirsteth, I will give of the fountain of the water of life, freely.
  7. 7He that shall overcome shall possess these things. And I will be his God: and he shall be my son.

Most Catholic parishes in the US read the New American Bible. Read Revelation 21 in the NABRE at usccb.org.

Where this reading is used

  • Catholic: New Testament (Easter season) (Lectionary for Mass, no. 1012)
  • Protestant: a common funeral reading

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.