BIBLICAL OLD TESTAMENT READINGS FOR A WEDDING CEREMONY
(addition)

1. GENESIS 1:26 - 31

Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after 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 earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God 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." And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.

2. GENESIS 2:18 - 25

Then the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him." So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast 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. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, "This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man." Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

3. PSALM 67

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving power among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for thou dost judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon earth. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee! The earth has yielded its increase; God, our God, has blessed us. God has blessed us; let all the ends of the earth fear him!

4. Ruth 1: 16-17

But Ruth said:

Entreat me not to leave you,

Or to turn back from following after you;

For wherever you go, I will go;

And wherever you lodge, I will lodge;

Your people shall be my people,

And your God, my God.

Where you die, I will die,

And there will I be buried.

The Lord do so to me, and more also,

If anything but death parts you and me.

5. This is a version of PSALM 1 adapted by Stephen Mitchell

Blessed are the man and woman

who have grown beyond themselves

and have seen through their separations.

They delight in the way things are

and keep their hearts open, day and night.

They are like trees planted near flowing rivers,

which bear fruit when they are ready.

Their leaves will not fall or wither.

Everything they do will succeed.

6. This reading is taken from the Greek Orthodox Marriage Service

Be thou magnified, O bridegroom, like Abraham, and blessed like Isaac, and increase like Jacob, walking in peace and living in righteousness...

And thou, O bride, be magnified like Sarah, and rejoice like Rebecca, and increase like Rachel, being glad in thy husband and keeping the bounds of the law.

7. PSALM 127

Unless the Lord builds the house,

They labor in vain who build it;

Unless the Lord guards the city,

The watchman stays awake in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early,

To sit up late,

To eat the bread of sorrows;

For so he gives his beloved sleep.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,

The fruit of the womb is a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,

So are the children of one's youth.

Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them;

They shall not be ashamed,

But shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

8. This reading is an excerpt from Song Of Songs

Come then, my love; my darling, come with me.

The winter is over; the rains have stopped;

in the countryside the flowers are in bloom,

This is the time for singing; the song of doves is heard in the fields.

Figs are beginning to ripen; the air is fragrant with blossoming vines.

Come then, my love; my darling, come with me.

My sweetheart, my bride, is a secret garden, a walled garden, a private spring; there the plants flourish.

They grow like an orchard of pomegranate trees and bear the finest fruits.

There is no lack of henna and nard, of saffron, calamus, and cinnamon, or incense of every kind.

Myrrh and aloes grow there with all the most fragrant perfumes.

Fountains water the garden, streams of flowing water, brooks gushing down from the Lebanon Mountains.

Under the apple tree I woke you, in the place where you were born.

Close your heart to every love but mine.

Hold no one in your arms but me.

Love is as powerful as death; passion is as strong as death itself.

It bursts into flame and burns like a raging fire.

Water cannot put it out; no flood can drown it.

But if anyone tried to buy love with his wealth, contempt is all he would get.

9. PSALM 128

Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord,

Who walks in his ways.

When you eat the labor of your hands,

You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

In the very heart of your house,

Your children like olive plants

All around your table.

Behold, thus shall the man be blessed

Who fears the Lord.

The Lord bless you out of Zion,

And may you see the good of Jerusalem

All the days of your life.

Yes, may you see your children's children.

Peace be upon Israel!

10. ECCLESIASTES 3: 1-8

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, And a time to die;

A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;

A time to kill, And a time to heal;

A time to break down, And a time to build up;

A time to weep, And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to gain, And a time to lose;

A time to keep, And a time to throw away;

A time to tear, And a time to sew;

A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;

A time to love, And a time to hate;

A time of war, And a time of peace.

11. ECCLESIASTES 4: 9-12

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

12. PROVERBS 31: 10-31

Who can find a virtuous wife?

For her worth is far above rubies.

The heart of her husband safely trusts her,

So he will have no lack of gain.

She does him good and not evil

All the days of her life.

She seeks wool and flax,

And willingly works with her hands.

She is like the merchant ships,

She brings her food from afar.

She also rises while it is yet night,

And provides food for her household,

And a portion for her maidservants.

She considers a field and buys it;

From her profits she plants a vineyard.

She girds herself with strength,

And strengthens her arms.

She perceives that her merchandise is good,

And her lamp does not go out in the night.

She stretches out her hands to the distaff,

And her hand holds the spindle.

She extends her hand to the poor,

Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.

She is not afraid of snow for her household,

For all her household is clothed with scarlet.

She makes tapestry for herself;

Her clothing is fine linen and purple.

Her husband is known in the gates,

When he sits among the elders of the land.

She makes linen garments and sells them,

And supplies sashes for the merchants.

Strength and honor are her clothing;

She shall rejoice in time to come.

She opens her mouth with wisdom,

And on her tongue is the law of kindness.

She watches over the ways of her household,

And does not eat the bread of idleness.

Her children rise up and call her blessed;

Her husband also, and he praises her.

"Many daughters have done well,

But you excel them all."

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is passing,

But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,

And let her own works praise her in the gates.

13. SONGS OF SOLOMON 2:8-14, 16

The voice of my beloved!

Behold, he comes

Leaping upon the mountains,

Skipping upon the hills.

My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag.

Behold, he stands behind our wall;

He is looking through the windows,

Gazing through the lattice.

My beloved spoke, and said to me:

"Rise up my love, my fair one,

And come away.

For lo, the winter is past,

The rain is over and gone.

The flowers appear on the earth;

The time of singing has come,

And the voice of the turtledove

Is heard in our land.

The fig tree puts forth her green figs,

And the vines with the tender grapes

Give a good smell.

Rise up my love, my fair one,

And come away!

"O my dove, in the clefts of the rock,

In the secret places of the cliff,

Let me see your face,

Let me hear your voice;

For your voice is sweet,

And your face is lovely."

My beloved is mine, and I am his.

He feeds his flock among the lilies.

14. SONGS OF SOLOMON 8:6-7

Set me as a seal upon your heart,

As a seal upon your arm;

For love is as strong as death,

Jealousy as cruel as the grave;

Its flames are flames of fire,

A most vehement flame.

Many waters cannot quench love,

Nor can the floods drown it.

If a man would give for love

All the wealth of his house,

It would be utterly despised.

15. ISAIAH 55: 12-13

For you shall go out with joy,

And be led out with peace;

The mountains and the hills

Shall break forth into singing before you,

And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree,

And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree;

This shall be to the Lord's renown,

An everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

16. ISAIAH 61:10-62:3

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord,

My soul shall be joyful in my God;

For he has clothed me with the garments of salvation,

He has covered me with the robe of righteousness,

As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments,

And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

For as the earth brings forth its bud,

So the Lord God will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.

For Zion's sake I will not hold My peace,

And for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest,

Until her righteousness goes forth as brightness,

And her salvation as a lamp that burns.

The Gentiles shall see your righteousness,

And all kings your glory.

You shall be called by a new name,

Which the mouth of the Lord will name.

You shall also be a crown of glory

In the hand of the Lord,

And a royal diadem

In the hand of your God.

17. HOSEA 2:19-21

I will betroth you to Me forever;

Yes, I will betroth you to me

In righteousness and justice,

In lovingkindness and mercy;

I will betroth you to me in faithfulness,

And you shall know the Lord.

It shall come to pass in that day

That I will answer, says the Lord;

I will answer the heavens,

And they shall answer the earth.

18. TOBIT 8:5-8

She got up, and they started to pray and beg that deliverance might be theirs. He began with these words:

"Blessed are you, O God of our fathers;

praised be your name forever and ever.

Let the heavens and all your creation praise you forever.

You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve

to be his help and support;

and from these two the human race descended.

You said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone;

let us make him a partner himself.'

Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine

not just because of lust,

but for a noble purpose.

Call down your mercy on me and on her,

and allow us to live together to a happy old age."

They said together, "Amen, amen..."

19. ECCLESIASTICUS 25:1

With three things I am delighted,

for they are pleasing to the Lord and to men:

Harmony among brethren, friendship among neighbors,

and the mutual love of husband and wife.

20. ECCLESIASTICUS 26:1-4

Happy the husband of a good wife, twice lengthened are his days;

A worthy wife brings joy to her husband, peaceful and full is his life.

A good wife is a generous gift bestowed upon him who fears the Lord;

Be he rich or poor, his heart is content,and a smile is ever on his face.