Scripture by topic
If you are here because you have been asked to read something, or because you are planning a service in a week you did not expect to be planning anything — these are the passages the church has used for a very long time.
They are grouped by occasion rather than by theme, because what you need at a graveside is not what you need at a service for someone who lived ninety good years.
The ones most often read aloud, and the ones most people will recognise even if they have not been in a church for years.
1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.
3 He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Psalm 23:1-6
1 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe in Me as well.
2 In My Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and welcome you into My presence, so that you also may be where I am.
John 14:1-3
‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.”
Revelation 21:4
54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come to pass: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
55 “Where, O Death, is your victory? Where, O Death, is your sting?”
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!
1 Corinthians 15:54-57
38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39
Short, and meant to be said standing up outdoors.
25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.
26 And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
Now we know that if the earthly tent we live in is dismantled, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.
2 Corinthians 5:1
Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of His saints.
Psalm 116:15
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who are without hope.
14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, we also believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in Him.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14
For the service where grief and gratitude are both in the room.
7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
8 From now on there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but to all who crave His appearing.
2 Timothy 4:7-8
So teach us to number our days, that we may present a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
All these people died in faith, without having received the things they were promised. However, they saw them and welcomed them from afar. And they acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Hebrews 11:13
And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
Revelation 14:13
These do not tidy it up. Job 1:21 was said by a man who had just lost ten children, and Scripture does not make him say more.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted; He saves the contrite in spirit.
Psalm 34:18
22 Because of the loving devotion of the LORD we are not consumed, for His mercies never fail.
23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness!
Lamentations 3:22-23
saying: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
Job 1:21
1 The righteous perish, and no one takes it to heart; devout men are swept away, while no one considers that the righteous are guided from the presence of evil.
2 Those who walk uprightly enter into peace; they find rest, lying down in death.
Isaiah 57:1-2
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Matthew 5:4
If you are choosing a reading, pick the one that sounds like the person rather than the one that sounds most like a funeral. And if you are the one reading it, it is fine to say beforehand that you may not get through it. Nobody in that room needs you to be composed. Romans 12:15 asks us to weep with those who weep, which includes the person at the front.
A prayer you can borrow
God, we did not want to be here. Thank You for the years we had, and for the specific things about them that we are already afraid of forgetting. Be near the people in this room who are furthest from You today, and be near the ones who are angry at You. Hold what we cannot hold. And keep Your promise that there is a day coming with no more death, because right now that is most of what we have. Amen.
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Psalm 23 is the most common by a wide margin, followed by John 14:1-3 ("In My Father's house are many rooms") and Revelation 21:4. For a graveside, John 11:25-26 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-14 are the traditional choices.
Revelation 21:4 — He will wipe away every tear — is the shortest one that carries the whole hope. Psalm 34:18 is the one to use when the room needs comfort more than it needs hope: the LORD is near to the brokenhearted.
Scripture does not ask you to make a verdict you were never given. Passages about God's character rather than the person's standing carry that room best — Psalm 23, Psalm 34:18, Lamentations 3:22-23. Genesis 18:25 is the honest anchor: the Judge of all the earth will do right.
Yes. Every passage on this page is from the Berean Standard Bible, which is free of copyright restrictions, so you can print it, read it aloud or put it in an order of service without asking anyone. This page is free to read and there is nothing to sign up for.
Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible, which is free of copyright restrictions for use on websites. Read the full Bible on Great Faith.