קֹהֶלֶת 3

1 לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכָל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ ס

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

2 עֵ֥ת לָלֶ֖דֶת וְעֵ֣ת לָמ֑וּת עֵ֣ת לָטַ֔עַת וְעֵ֖ת לַעֲקֹ֥ור נָטֽוּעַ׃

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

3 עֵ֤ת לַהֲרֹוג֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִרְפֹּ֔וא עֵ֥ת לִפְרֹ֖וץ וְעֵ֥ת לִבְנֹֽות׃

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

4 עֵ֤ת לִבְכֹּות֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂחֹ֔וק עֵ֥ת סְפֹ֖וד וְעֵ֥ת רְקֹֽוד׃

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

5 עֵ֚ת לְהַשְׁלִ֣יךְ אֲבָנִ֔ים וְעֵ֖ת כְּנֹ֣וס אֲבָנִ֑ים עֵ֣ת לַחֲבֹ֔וק וְעֵ֖ת לִרְחֹ֥ק מֵחַבֵּֽק׃

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

6 עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמֹ֖ור וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃

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

7 עֵ֤ת לִקְרֹ֙ועַ֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפֹּ֔ור עֵ֥ת לַחֲשֹׁ֖ות וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃

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

8 עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֹֽום׃ ס

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

9 מַה־יִּתְרֹון֙ הָֽעֹושֶׂ֔ה בַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר ה֥וּא עָמֵֽל׃

So what do you get for all your hard work?

10 רָאִ֣יתִי אֶת־הָֽעִנְיָ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן אֱלֹהִ֛ים לִבְנֵ֥י הָאָדָ֖ם לַעֲנֹ֥ות בֹּֽו׃

I have examined what God gives us to do.

11 אֶת־הַכֹּ֥ל עָשָׂ֖ה יָפֶ֣ה בְעִתֹּ֑ו גַּ֤ם אֶת־הָעֹלָם֙ נָתַ֣ן בְּלִבָּ֔ם מִבְּלִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יִמְצָ֣א הָאָדָ֗ם אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מֵרֹ֥אשׁ וְעַד־סֹֽוף׃

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 יָדַ֕עְתִּי כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין טֹ֖וב בָּ֑ם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׂמֹ֔וחַ וְלַעֲשֹׂ֥ות טֹ֖וב בְּחַיָּֽיו׃

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

13 וְגַ֤ם כָּל־הָאָדָם֙ שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל וְשָׁתָ֔ה וְרָאָ֥ה טֹ֖וב בְּכָל־עֲמָלֹ֑ו מַתַּ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽיא׃

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

14 יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֠י כָּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה הָאֱלֹהִים֙ ה֚וּא יִהְיֶ֣ה לְעֹולָ֔ם עָלָיו֙ אֵ֣ין לְהֹוסִ֔יף וּמִמֶּ֖נּוּ אֵ֣ין לִגְרֹ֑עַ וְהָאֱלֹהִ֣ים עָשָׂ֔ה שֶׁיִּֽרְא֖וּ מִלְּפָנָֽיו׃

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 מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ כְּבָ֣ר ה֔וּא וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לִהְיֹ֖ות כְּבָ֣ר הָיָ֑ה וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־נִרְדָּֽף׃

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

16 וְעֹ֥וד רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ מְקֹ֤ום הַמִּשְׁפָּט֙ שָׁ֣מָּה הָרֶ֔שַׁע וּמְקֹ֥ום הַצֶּ֖דֶק שָׁ֥מָּה הָרָֽשַׁע׃

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 אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י אֶת־הַצַּדִּיק֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣רָשָׁ֔ע יִשְׁפֹּ֖ט הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּי־עֵ֣ת לְכָל־חֵ֔פֶץ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה שָֽׁם׃

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 אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י עַל־דִּבְרַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֔ם לְבָרָ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְלִרְאֹ֕ות שְׁהֶם־בְּהֵמָ֥ה הֵ֖מָּה לָהֶֽם׃

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

19 כִּי֩ מִקְרֶ֨ה בְֽנֵי־הָאָדָ֜ם וּמִקְרֶ֣ה הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּמִקְרֶ֤ה אֶחָד֙ לָהֶ֔ם כְּמֹ֥ות זֶה֙ כֵּ֣ן מֹ֣ות זֶ֔ה וְר֥וּחַ אֶחָ֖ד לַכֹּ֑ל וּמֹותַ֨ר הָאָדָ֤ם מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אָ֔יִן כִּ֥י הַכֹּ֖ל הָֽבֶל׃

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 הַכֹּ֥ל הֹולֵ֖ךְ אֶל־מָקֹ֣ום אֶחָ֑ד הַכֹּל֙ הָיָ֣ה מִן־הֶֽעָפָ֔ר וְהַכֹּ֖ל שָׁ֥ב אֶל־הֶעָפָֽר׃

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

21 מִ֣י יֹודֵ֗עַ ר֚וּחַ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֔ם הָעֹלָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְמָ֑עְלָה וְר֙וּחַ֙ הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה הַיֹּרֶ֥דֶת הִ֖יא לְמַ֥טָּה לָאָֽרֶץ׃

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 וְרָאִ֗יתִי כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין טֹוב֙ מֵאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׂמַ֤ח הָאָדָם֙ בְּֽמַעֲשָׂ֔יו כִּי־ה֖וּא חֶלְקֹ֑ו כִּ֣י מִ֤י יְבִיאֶ֙נּוּ֙ לִרְאֹ֔ות בְּמֶ֖ה שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרָֽיו׃

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?