3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
3:2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3:3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
3:4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
3:5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
3:6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
3:7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
3:8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
3:9 What does the worker gain from his toil?
3:10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.
3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
3:12 I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live.
3:13 That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil–this is the gift of God.
3:14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
3:15 Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.
3:16 And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment–wickedness was there, in the place of justice–wickedness was there.
3:17 I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.”
3:18 I also thought, “As for men, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.
3:19 Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; man has no advantage over the animal. Everything is meaningless.
3:20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.
3:21 Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
3:22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
3:1 For everything there is a season, / And a time for every purpose under heaven:
3:2 A time to be born, and a time to die; / A time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3:3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; / A time to tear down, and a time to build up;
3:4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; / A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
3:5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; / A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
3:6 A time to seek, and a time to lose; / A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
3:7 A time to tear, and a time to sew; / A time to be silent, and a time to speak;
3:8 A time to love, and a time to hate; / A time for war, and a time for peace.
3:9 What profit does the worker have in all that he labors?
3:10 I have seen the travail that God has given the children of men to travail in.
3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its own time; also He has put eternity in their heart, yet so that man does not find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
3:12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good in their lifetime;
3:13 Moreover, that every man should eat and drink and taste enjoyment in all his labor; it is the gift of God.
3:14 I know that whatever God does, it will be forever; nothing can be added to it, nor can anything be taken from it. God has so done, that all would fear Him.
3:15 That which is has already been, and that which will be has already been; and God seeks what has passed.
3:16 Moreover I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment, wickedness is there; and in the place of righteousness, wickedness is there.
3:17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and every work.
3:18 I said in my heart, This is so for the sake of the children of men, that God may prove them and that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.
3:19 For what happens to the children of men happens also to beasts; even the same thing happens to them both: As the one dies, so dies the other; and they all have one breath; and man has no advantage over the beast; for all is vanity.
3:20 All go to one place: all are of dust, and all return to dust.
3:21 Who knows the breath of the children of men, that it goes upward; or the breath of the beasts, that it goes downward to the earth?
3:22 Therefore I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works, for that is his portion. For who will bring him to see what will be after him?