Ecclesiastes 3

1 For, every thing, there is a season, —and a time for every pursuit, under the heavens: —

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

2 A time to be born, and a time to die, —A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted;

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

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal, —A time to break down, and a time to build up;

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

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh, —A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;

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

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 loving embrace;

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.

6 A time to seek, and a time to give up as lost, —A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

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

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

A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be 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.

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

9 What profit hath he that worketh, in that wherein, himself, hath toiled?

What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?

10 I looked at the employment which God hath given to the sons of men, to work therein:

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

11 Everything, hath he made beautiful in its own time, —also, intelligence, hath he put in their heart, without which men could not find out the work which God hath wrought, from the beginning even unto the end.

The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end.

12 I know that there is no blessedness in them, —save to be glad, and to do well with one’s life.

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

13 Though indeed, that any man should eat and drink, and see blessedness, in all his toil, it is, the gift of God.

yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it [is] a gift of God.

14 I know, that, whatsoever God doeth, the same, shall be age-abiding, unto it, there is nothing to add, and, from it, there is nothing to take away, —and, God, hath done it, that men should stand in awe before him.

I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.

15 That which was, already, had been, and, that which shall be, already, shall have been, —but, God, seeketh that which hath been chased away.

What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which [is] to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

16 Then, again, I saw under the sun, the place of justice, that there was lawlessness, and, the place of righteousness, that there was lawlessness.

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.

17 Said, I, in my heart, Both the righteous and the lawless, will God judge, —for [there will be] a time for every pursuit, and concerning every work—there.

I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.'

18 Said, I, in my heart, as concerning the sons of men, That God was minded to prove them, —and that they might see, that they were beasts, of themselves.

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.

19 For, as regardeth the destiny of the sons of men and the destiny of beasts, one fate, have they, as dieth the one, so, dieth the other, and, one spirit, have they all, —and, the pre-eminence of man over beast, is nothing, for, all, were vanity:

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.

20 all, go unto one place, —all, came from the dust, and all, return to the dust.

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

21 Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of men, whether it, ascendeth, above, —or the spirit of the beast, whether it, descendeth, below, to the earth?

Who knoweth 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?

22 So I saw, that there was nothing better than that a man should be glad in his works, for, that, is his portion, —for who can bring him in, to look upon that which shall be after him?

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