Job 19:25–27 — I Know That My Redeemer Liveth

Why families choose it

Job says this in the middle of his ruin, not after it — his children are dead, his questions are unanswered, and still he says ‘I know.’ That is why the burial service has opened with these words for centuries, and why Handel gave them to a single voice. It is the reading for mourners whose faith is bruised but standing: it does not explain the loss, it holds a certainty on the far side of it.

Reading it aloud

Plant the first line firmly — ‘I know’ is the whole reading, and it should sound known, not hoped. The middle verse walks through hard territory; take it steadily and do not flinch at ‘worms destroy this body’, because Job does not. Practice the last phrase aloud beforehand — ‘though my reins be consumed’ trips unrehearsed readers — and let ‘mine eyes shall behold’ carry the quiet emphasis.

In the programme, list it in the order of service as “Scripture Reading — Job 19:25–27” with the reader’s name beside it. The full text is public domain and may be printed on the life-story or back page.