I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth have passed away, and the sea is no more. I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice out of heaven saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with people; and he will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; neither will there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more. The first things have passed away.”
He who sits on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” He said, “Write, for these words of God are faithful and true.” He said to me, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give freely to him who is thirsty from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes, I will give him these things. I will be his God, and he will be my son.”
Revelation 21:1-7, World English Bible Updated edition, which is in the public domain. The one change on this page and in the booklet: the closing quotation mark added at the end of verse 7, where the words spoken continue beyond the extract.
Which funeral services use it
- Catholic, US (Lectionary for Masses for the Dead): Only as a first reading in Easter Time: Revelation 21:1-5a, 6b-7.
- Catholic, England and Wales (Order of Christian Funerals): Easter Season first reading: Apocalypse 21:1-7.
- Church of England (Common Worship funeral readings): Revelation 21.1-7.
- Shown among popular choices on the Church of England's own funeral planning page.
Where it comes in the service
At a Catholic funeral Mass it is only used in Easter Time, when a New Testament reading replaces the Old Testament first reading. In a Church of England funeral it can be read at any time of year.
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: Revelation 21:1-7, read by Anne Hughes".
Add Revelation 21:1-7 to your booklet, typeset in full, with the order of service around it. You can see the whole booklet before paying anything.
Put Revelation 21:1-7 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.