Ecclesiastes 3

1 To all things there is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven.

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

2 A time of birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has been 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 pull 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 lament, and a time to dance;

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

5 a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to abstain from embracing;

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 lose; 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 advantage [has] he that works in those things wherein he labours?

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

10 I have seen all the trouble, which God has given to the sons of men to be troubled with.

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

11 All the things which he has made are beautiful in his time: he has also set the whole world in their heart, that man might not find out the work which God has wrought from the beginning even to 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 good in them, except [for a man] to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

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

13 Also [in the case of] every man who shall eat and drink, and see good in all his labour, [this] is a 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 things God has done, they shall be for ever: it is impossible to add to it, and it is impossible to take away from it: and God has done [it], that [men] may fear 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 has been is now; and whatever things [are appointed] to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.

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 And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, there was the ungodly one; and the place of righteousness, there was the godly one.

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 And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.

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 I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, God will judge them, and that to shew that they are breasts.

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 Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is 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] to one place; all were formed of the dust, and all will return to 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 And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward 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 And I saw that there was no good, but that wherein a man shall rejoice in his works, for it is his portion, for who shall bring him to see any thing of 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?