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Bible Verses for Your Wedding, Part I

An important aspect of planning your wedding is selecting Scriptures to be read in the ceremony. Many clergy encourage couples to look through the Bible and choose some appropriate verses. This provides an excellent way for the bride and groom to personalize their service by choosing passages that have a special meaning for them or speak to their particular situation. For many couples this is both exciting and daunting. After all, the Bible is a pretty big book! Where to begin? How to choose? Which to choose?

Most members of the clergy will not object to more than one reading during your ceremony. In fact, many will encourage you to pick as many as 3 passages. As difficult as it might be for you to believe, it can be hard to narrow it down. There are so many from which to choose!

The following list is Part One of a two-part article and begins with readings from the Old Testament, also known as the Hebrew Bible. The list comes
as a result of years of working with wedding couples in Episcopal, Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, and Christian Science churches and From my education at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Direct quotes from the Bible are taken from the King James Version, which is in the public domain. The interpretations or paraphrases of these verses are strictly my own. However, they do reflect mainstream thought and are non-denominational in perspective.

Part One - Old Testament and Apocrypha

Readings from the Old Testament, also called The Hebrew Bible, are also most appropriate for Jewish weddings.

• Genesis 1:27-28a, 31a God's good and gracious work in creating man and woman for each other
• Ruth 1:16 The devotion of Ruth to a new family
• Song of Solomon 2:10-14, 16a The lover arrives in Spring to call for his bride
• Song of Solomon 8:6-7 A bride beseeches her lover to be faithful
• Isaiah 26:3-4 Trust in God
• Isaiah 43:1-7 Our redemption by God, and God's presence and love in our lives
• Isaiah 55:10-13 God's word feeds and nurtures us
• Isaiah 61:10-62:3 Our certain salvation and a new status
• Psalm 19 A Psalm praising God as creator
• Psalm 34:8 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. Vs. 8 is particularly nice for weddings which include Holy Communion.
• Psalm 98:1a, 4-6 A Psalm of praise
• Psalm 100 A Psalm of praise
• Psalm 119 The longest in the Bible, the entire Psalm is a reflection on God's laws, with verses 1-16 reflecting on walking always in God's way.
• Psalm 127 A home built by God
• Psalm 128 The blessings of lives led by God
• Tobit 8:5-9 Tobias and Sarah praise God and acknowledge Him as the creator who ordained marriage. Tobias prays for mercy and that God allow him and Sarah to grow old together. (This is the only verse from the Apocrypha.)

Part II of "Bible Verses for Your Wedding" will include suggestions from the Gospels and New Testament with ideas on how to choose appropriate passages to make your wedding special.

By Deborah Spence
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