Ecclesiastes 3
3
Everything in God’s Own Time
1Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven:
2a time to be born and
a time to die,
a time to plant and
a time to pull out what was planted,
3a time to kill and
a time to heal,
a time to tear down and
a time to build up,
4a time to cry and
a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and
a time to dance,
5a time to scatter stones and
a time to gather them,
a time to hug and
a time to stop hugging,
6a time to start looking and
a time to stop looking,
a time to keep and
a time to throw away,
7a time to tear apart and
a time to sew together,
a time to keep quiet and
a time to speak out,
8a time to love and
a time to hate,
a time for war and
a time for peace.
God Gives Mortals a Sense of Eternity
9What do working people gain from their hard labor? 10I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that God has placed on them. 11It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end ⌞of time⌟.
12I realize that there’s nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives. 13It is a gift from God to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work.
14I realize that whatever God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. God does this so that people will fear him.
15Whatever has happened ⌞in the past⌟ is present now. Whatever is going to happen ⌞in the future⌟ has already happened ⌞in the past⌟. God will call the past to account.
Humans and Animals Meet the Same End
16I saw something else under the sun:
There is wickedness where justice should be found.
There is wickedness where righteousness should be found.
17I thought to myself, “God will judge righteous people as well as wicked people, because there is a specific time for every activity and every work that is done.” 18I thought to myself, “God is going to test humans in order to show them that they are ⌞like⌟ animals.” 19Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath ⌞of life⌟. Humans have no advantage over animals. All ⌞of life⌟ is pointless. 20All ⌞life⌟ goes to the same place. All ⌞life⌟ comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground. 21Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth?
22I saw that there’s nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot ⌞in life⌟. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them?
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Ecclesiastes 3
3
Everything Has Its Time
1To everything there is a season,
A #Eccl. 3:17; 8:6time for every purpose under heaven:
2A time to be born,
And #Job 14:5; Heb. 9:27a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what is planted;
3A time to kill,
And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
And a time to build up;
4A time to #Rom. 12:15weep,
And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
And a time to dance;
5A time to cast away stones,
And a time to gather stones;
#Joel 2:16; 1 Cor. 7:5A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
#Amos 5:13A time to keep silence,
And a time to #Prov. 25:11speak;
8A time to love,
And a time to #Prov. 13:5; Luke 14:26hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
The God-Given Task
9#Eccl. 1:3What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10#Eccl. 1:13I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that #Job 5:9; Eccl. 7:23; 8:17; Rom. 11:33no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12I know that nothing is #Eccl. 2:3, 24better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13and also that #Eccl. 2:24every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
#James 1:17Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15#Eccl. 1:9That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God requires an account of what is past.
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16Moreover #Eccl. 5:8I saw under the sun:
In the place of judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
Iniquity was there.
17I said in my heart,
#Gen. 18:25; Ps. 96:13; Eccl. 11:9; (Matt. 16:27; Rom. 2:6–10; 2 Cor. 5:10; 2 Thess. 1:6–9)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.”
18I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19#Ps. 49:12, 20; 73:22; (Eccl. 2:16)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20All go to one place: #Gen. 3:19; Ps. 103:14all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21#Eccl. 12:7Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 22#Eccl. 2:24; 5:18So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for #Eccl. 2:10that is his heritage. #Eccl. 6:12; 8:7For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.