Ecclesiastes 3

1 To everything—a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:

For everything there is an appointed time, and a season for every purpose under heaven.

2 A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.

There is a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pull up plants,

3 A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up.

a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up.

4 A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip.

There is a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.

a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace other people, and a time to refrain from embracing.

6 A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.

There is a time to look for things and a time to stop looking, a time to keep things and a time to throw away things,

7 A time to tear, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.

a time to tear clothing and a time to repair clothing, a time to keep silent and a time to speak.

8 A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.

There is a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What advantage does the doer have in that which he is laboring at?

What profit does the worker gain in his labor?

10 I have seen the travail that God has given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

I have seen the work that God has given to human beings to complete.

11 The whole He has made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He has put in their heart without which man does not find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end.

God has made everything suitable for its own time. He has also placed eternity in their hearts. But mankind cannot understand the deeds that God has done, from their beginning all the way to their end.

12 I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,

I know that there is nothing better for anyone than to rejoice and to do good so long as he lives—

13 indeed, even every man who eats and has drunk and seen good by all his labor, it [is] a gift of God.

and that everyone should eat and drink, and should understand how to enjoy the good that comes from all his work. This is a gift from God.

14 I have known that all that God does is for all time, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God has worked that they fear before Him.

I know that whatever God does lasts forever. Nothing can be added to it or taken away, because it is God who has done it so that people will approach him with honor.

15 What is that which has been? Already it is, and that which [is] to be has already been, and God requires that which is pursued.

Whatever exists has already existed; whatever will exist has already existed. God makes human beings seek hidden things.

16 And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment—there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness—there [is] the wicked.

I have seen the wickedness that is under the sun, where there should be justice, and in place of righteousness, wickedness was there.

17 I said in my heart, “The righteous and the wicked God judges, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.”

I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked at the right time for every matter and every deed.”

18 I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves [are] beasts.

I said in my heart, “God tests human beings to show them that they are like animals.”

19 For an event [is to] the sons of man, and an event [is to] the beasts, even one event [is] to them; as the death of this, so [is] the death of that; and one spirit [is] to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole [is] vanity.

For the fate of the children of mankind and the fate of animals is the same fate for them. The death of one is like the death of the other. The breath is the same for all of them. There is no advantage for mankind over the animals. For is not everything just a breath?

20 The whole are going to one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back to the dust.

Everything is going to the same place. Everything comes from the dust, and everything returns to the dust.

21 Who knows the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?

Who knows whether the spirit of mankind goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward into the earth?

22 And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it [is] his portion; for who brings him to look on that which is after him?

So again I realized that there is nothing better for anyone than to take pleasure in his work, for that is his assignment. Who can bring him back to see what happens after him?