Ecclesiastes 3 — The Holy Bible

A Time for Everything

Ecclesiastes 3, verse 1. To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

A time to give birth

And a time to die;

A time to plant

And a time to pluck what is planted.

A time to kill

And a time to heal;

A time to pull down

And a time to build up.

A time to weep

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn

And a time to dance.

A time to throw stones

And a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace

And a time to refrain from embracing.

A time to seek

And a time to lose;

A time to keep

And a time to throw away.

A time to tear

And a time to sew;

A time to keep silent

And a time to speak.

A time to love

And a time to hate;

A time of war

And a time of peace.

The Gifts of God

Ecclesiastes 3, verse 9. What profit has the worker from all his labors? Ecclesiastes 3, verse 10. I have seen altogether the tasks which God has given to the sons of men to be engaged in. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 11. He made everything beautiful in its time, and He indeed put eternity in their hearts in such a way that man may not find out the work God made from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 12. I know there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good in their lives. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 13. Indeed, every man should eat and drink and experience the good in all his labor—this is God's gift to him.

I know that whatever things God does,

They shall be forever.

Nothing can be added to or taken away from these things,

For God did them that men would fear before Him.

What is has already been,

And what is to be has already been;

And God will require an account of what is past.

God Judges All

Moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment.

The ungodly man was there.

I also saw the place of the righteous man.

The ungodly man was not there.

I said in my heart,

“God will judge both the righteous man and the ungodly man,

For there is a time for every action and every work.”

Ecclesiastes 3, verse 18. I said in my heart, “Concerning the speech of the sons of men, God will judge them so as to show them that indeed, they are themselves like animals.” Ecclesiastes 3, verse 19. For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals: one thing befalls them; as is the death of the one, so also is the death of the other, and there is one breath to all. So what advantage does a man have over an animal? For all things are vanity. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 20. All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to the dust. Ecclesiastes 3, verse 21. Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth? Ecclesiastes 3, verse 22. So I saw that there was no good except that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what happens after him?