Ecclesiastes 3

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

All things have their season, and in their times all things pass under heaven.

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

A time to be born and a time to die. A time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted.

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

A time to kill, and a time to heal. A time to destroy, and a time to build.

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

A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

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

A time to scatter stones, and a time to gather. A time to embrace, and a time to be far from embraces.

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

A time to get, and a time to lose. A time to keep, and a time to cast away.

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

A time to rend, and a time to sew. A time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

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

A time of love, and a time of hatred. A time of war, and a time of peace.

9 So what do you get for all your hard work?

What hath man more of his labour?

10 I have examined what God gives us to do.

I have seen the trouble, which God hath given the sons of men to be exercised in it.

11 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.

He hath made all things good in their time, and hath delivered the world to their consideration, so that man cannot find out the work which God hath made from the beginning to the end.

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

And I have known that there was no better thing than to rejoice, and to do well in this life.

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

For every man that eateth and drinketh, and seeth good of his labour, this is the gift of God.

14 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.

I have learned that all the works which God hath made, continue for ever: we cannot add any thing, nor take away from those things which God hath made that he may be feared.

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

That which hath been made, the same continueth: the things that shall be, have already been: and God restoreth that which is past.

16 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.

I saw under the sun in the place of judgment wickedness, and in the place of justice iniquity.

17 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.”

And I said in my heart: God shall judge both the just and the wicked, and then shall be the time of every thing.

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

I said in my heart concerning the sons of men, that God would prove them, and shew them to be like beasts.

19 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!

Therefore the death of man, and of beasts is one, and the condition of them both is equal: as man dieth, so they also die: all things breathe alike, and man hath nothing more than beast: all things are subject to vanity.

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

And all things go to one place: of earth they were made, and into earth they return together.

21 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?

Who knoweth if the spirit of the children of Adam ascend upward, and if the spirit of the beasts descend downward?

22 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?

And I have found that nothing is better than for a man to rejoice in his work, and that this is his portion. For who shall bring him to know the things that shall be after him?