But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,and no torment will touch them.In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died.Their departure was considered a disaster,and their travel away from us ruin,but they are in peace.For even if in the sight of men they are punished,their hope is full of immortality.Having borne a little chastening, they will receive great good;because God tested them, and found them worthy of himself.He tested them like gold in the furnace,and he accepted them as a whole burnt offering.In the time of their visitation they will shine.They will run back and forth like sparks among stubble.They will judge nations and have dominion over peoples.The Lord will reign over them forever.Those who trust him will understand truth.The faithful will live with him in love,because grace and mercy are with his chosen ones.
Wisdom 3:1-9, World English Bible Updated edition, which is in the public domain.
Which funeral services use it
- Catholic, US (Lectionary for Masses for the Dead): Wisdom 3:1-9 (short form 3:1-6, 9), as a first reading.
- Catholic, England and Wales (Order of Christian Funerals): Wisdom 3:1-9 (shorter form 3:1-6, 9).
- Church of England (Common Worship funeral readings): Partly: Wisdom 3.1-5, 9 (verses 6-8 are left out).
Wisdom is one of the deuterocanonical books: it is in Catholic Bibles and in the Apocrypha of Anglican Bibles, so a Bible without the Apocrypha will not have it.
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: Wisdom 3:1-9, read by Anne Hughes".
Add Wisdom 3:1-9 to your booklet, typeset in full, with the order of service around it. You can see the whole booklet before paying anything.
Put Wisdom 3:1-9 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.