< Ecclesiastes 3 >
1 To every [thing there is] a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
Everything has its own time—a time for all that happens here:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up [that which is] 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 break 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 mourn, 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain 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 get, 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 keep silence, 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 profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?
So what do you get for all your hard work?
10 I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
I have examined what God gives us to do.
11 He hath made every [thing] beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning 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, but 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 And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it [is] the 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, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth [it], that [men] should 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 hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth 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 judgment, [that] wickedness [was] there; and the place of righteousness, [that] iniquity [was] there.
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 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for [there is] a time there for every purpose 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 mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
I also thought to myself, “Regarding what happens to human beings—God proves to us that we're no better than animals.”
19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: 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 unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.
They all end up in the same place—they all came from dust, and they all return to dust.
21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth 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 Wherefore I perceive that [there is] nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that [is] his portion: for who shall bring him to see what 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?