Ecclesiastes 3

1 To all things there is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven.

Everything has its own time—a time for all that happens here:

2 A time of birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has been planted;

A time of birth, and a time of death. A time of planting, and a time of harvest.

3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to pull down, and a time to build up;

A time of killing, and a time of healing. A time of tearing down, and a time of building up.

4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance;

A time of crying, and a time of laughing. A time of mourning, and a time of dancing.

5 a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to abstain from embracing;

A time of throwing away stones, and a time of gathering up stones. A time of embracing, and a time of avoiding embracing.

6 a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time of searching, and a time of giving up searching. A time of keeping, and a time of throwing away.

7 a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;

A time of tearing, and a time of mending. A time of keeping quiet, a time of speaking up.

8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

A time of loving, and a time of hating. A time of warfare, and a time of peace.

9 What advantage [has] he that works in those things wherein he labours?

So what do you get for all your hard work?

10 I have seen all the trouble, which God has given to the sons of men to be troubled with.

I have examined what God gives us to do.

11 All the things which he has made are beautiful in his time: he has also set the whole world in their heart, that man might not find out the work which God has wrought from the beginning even to the end.

Everything God does is beautifully timed, and even though he has also placed the idea of eternity in our minds, we can't fully understand what God does from beginning to end.

12 I know that there is no good in them, except [for a man] to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

I concluded that there's nothing better than being happy and looking for the good in life.

13 Also [in the case of] every man who shall eat and drink, and see good in all his labour, [this] is a gift of God.

In addition everyone should eat and drink and enjoy their work—this is God's gift to us.

14 I know that whatever things God has done, they shall be for ever: it is impossible to add to it, and it is impossible to take away from it: and God has done [it], that [men] may fear before him.

I also concluded that everything God does lasts forever: nothing can be added to it or taken away from it. God acts in this way so that people may stand in awe of him.

15 That which has been is now; and whatever things [are appointed] to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.

Whatever was, is; and whatever will be, has been, and God examines the whole of time.

16 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgement, there was the ungodly one; and the place of righteousness, there was the godly one.

I also observed that here on earth there was evil even in the place where there was supposed to be justice; even where things were meant to be right, there was evil.

17 And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

But then I thought to myself, “Ultimately God will judge both those who do right and those who do wrong, and every deed and action, at the appointed time.”

18 I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, God will judge them, and that to show that they are breasts.

I also thought to myself, “Regarding what happens to human beings—God proves to us that we're no better than animals.”

19 Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is vanity.

For what happens to human beings is the same as what happens to animals—in the same way one dies, the other dies too. They all have the breath of life—so regarding any advantage human beings have over animals, there is none. Definitely this is very hard to understand!

20 All [go] to one place; all were formed of the dust, and all will return to dust.

They all end up in the same place—they all came from dust, and they all return to dust.

21 And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?

Who really knows whether the breath of life of human beings goes up above, and the breath of life of animals goes down below to the earth?

22 And I saw that there was no good, but that wherein a man shall rejoice in his works, for it is his portion, for who shall bring him to see any thing of that which shall be after him?

So I concluded that there's nothing better than for people to enjoy their work. This is what we are meant to do. For who can bring anyone back from the dead to show them what will happen after they die?