It is because of the LORD’s loving kindnesses that we are not consumed,because his mercies don’t fail.They are new every morning.Great is your faithfulness.“The LORD is my portion,” says my soul.“Therefore I will hope in him.”
The LORD is good to those who wait for him,to the soul who seeks him.It is good that a man should hopeand quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD.
Lamentations 3:22-26, World English Bible Updated edition, which is in the public domain.
Which funeral services use it
- Catholic, US (Lectionary for Masses for the Dead): Lamentations 3:17-26 for an adult; exactly 3:22-26 at the funeral of a baptized child.
- Catholic, England and Wales (Order of Christian Funerals): Lamentations 3:17-26.
- Church of England (Common Worship funeral readings): Lamentations 3.22-26, 31-33.
Where it comes in the service
At a Catholic funeral Mass this is a first reading, read before the psalm. In a Church of England funeral the Bible readings come in the readings and sermon part of the service.
At a Catholic Mass the reader uses the parish Lectionary, which is a different translation from the one printed here, and in the US its text may not be reproduced without permission. You may prefer to print only the reference and the reader in the running order, for example "First reading: Lamentations 3:22-26, read by Anne Hughes".
Add Lamentations 3:22-26 to your booklet, typeset in full, with the order of service around it. You can see the whole booklet before paying anything.
Put Lamentations 3:22-26 in my bookletAbout this translation
The words here are the World English Bible, a modern English translation whose translators dedicated it to the public domain, so it can be printed in a booklet in the US and the UK without permission or a fee. The King James Version is public domain in the US but is covered by Crown letters patent in the UK, which is why it is not used here. If your church prefers another translation, add it in step 5 with "Use your own words".
Funeral lists checked on September 28, 2026 against the USCCB, the Liturgy Office of England and Wales and the Church of England's Common Worship pages.