1 ه ُناكَ وَقتٌ لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ. وَلِكُلِّ شَيءٍ فِي هَذا العالَمِ وَقتٌ مُناسِبٌ.

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

2 و َقتٌ لِلوِلادَةِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلمَوتِ. وَقتٌ لِلغَرسِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلقَلعِ.

A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.

3 و َقتٌ لِلقَتلِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلشِّفاءِ. وَقتٌ لِلهَدمِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلبِناءِ.

A time to slay, And a time to heal, A time to break down, And a time to build up.

4 و َقتٌ لِلبُكاءِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلضَّحِكِ. وَقتٌ لِلحُزنِ، وَوَقتٌ لِلرَقصِ.

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

5 و َقْتٌ لِرَميِ الحِجارَةِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِجَمعِها. وَقْتٌ لِلعِناقِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلفِراقِ.

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 و َقْتٌ لِلْبَحْثِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّوَقُّفِ عَنِ البَحْثِ. وَقْتٌ لِحِفْظِ الأشْياءِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّخَلُّصِ مِنْها.

A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.

7 و َقْتٌ لِتَمْزِيقِ الثِّيابِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِتَخيِيطِها. وَقْتٌ لِلصَّمْتِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلتَّكَلُّمِ.

A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.

8 و َقْتٌ لِلحُبِّ، وَوَقتٌ لِلبُغضَةِ. وَقتٌ لِلحَربِ، وَوَقْتٌ لِلسِّلمِ. اللهُ هُوَ المُسَيطِر

A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.

9 ه َلْ يَعُودُ كُلُّ تَعَبِ الإنسانِ عَلَيهِ بِمَنفَعَةٍ حَقّاً؟

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

10 ر َأيتُ كُلَّ العَمَلِ الشّاقِّ الَّذِي أعطانا إيّاهُ اللهُ لِنَعمَلَهُ.

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

11 أ عطانا اللهُ قُدْرَةً عَلَى التَّفكِيرِ بِالحَياةِ، لَكِنَّ قُدرَتَنا عَلَى فَهْمِ مِا يَعْمَلُهُ مَحْدُودَةٌ. غَيرَ أنَّ اللهَ يَعرِفُ كَيفَ يُدِيرُ الحَياةَ.

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 أ درَكْتُ أنَّ أفضَلَ ما يُمكِنُ أنْ يَفعَلَهُ النّاسُ هُوَ أنْ يَفرَحُوا وَيُمَتِّعُوا أنفُسَهُمْ ما دامُوا أحياءً.

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

13 و َعَرَفْتُ أنَّ القُدْرَةَ عَلَى الأكلِ وَالشُّرْبِ وَالاسْتِمتاعِ بِالعَمَلِ هِيَ هِباتٌ مِنَ اللهِ.

yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it a gift of God.

14 ع َلِمْتُ أنَّ أيَّ شَيءٍ يَفعَلُهُ اللهُ سَوفَ يَدُومُ إلَى الأبَدِ. ما مِنْ أحَدٍ يَقدِرُ أنْ يَزيدَ عَلَيهِ، أوْ يُنقِصَ مِنْهُ. فَعَلَ اللهُ هَذا لِكَي يَهابَهُ البَشَرُ.

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 م ا حَدَثَ فِي الماضِي قَدْ حَدَثَ. وَما سَيَحدُثُ مُستَقبَلاً سَيَحدُثُ. وَاللهُ يُديرُ هَذا العالَمَ.

What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

16 و َرَأيتُ أيضاً هَذا فِي هَذِهِ الدُّنْيا. نَظَرْتُ إلَى المَحاكِمِ، حَيثُ يَنْبَغِي أنْ يَسُودَ العَدلُ وَالإنصافُ، فَرَأيتُ الظُّلْمَ وَالشَّرَّ.

And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment -- there the wicked; and the place of righteousness -- there the wicked.

17 ف َقُلْتُ لِنَفسِي: «جَعَلَ اللهُ لِكُلِّ شَيءٍ وَقتاً. جَعَلَ وَقتاً يَحكُمُ فِيهِ عَلَى كُلِّ ما يَفعَلُهُ النّاسُ. وَسَيَحْكُمُ عَلَى الأخيارِ وَالأشْرارِ.» البَشَرُ وَالحَيوانات

I said in my heart, `The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time to every matter and for every work there.'

18 ف َكَّرْتُ فِي كُلِّ شُؤُونِ البَشَرِ. وَقُلْتُ لِنَفسِي: «رُبَّما يُرِيدُ اللهُ أنْ يُرِيَ البَشَرَ أنَّهُمْ كَالحَيواناتِ.

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 beasts.

19 إ ذْ يَنتَظِرُ البَشَرَ وَالحَيواناتِ المَصِيرُ نَفْسُهُ. فِي البَشَرِ وَالحَيواناتِ نَسَمَةُ الحَياةِ نَفَسُها. وَهَلْ يَختَلِفُ حَيوانٌ مَيِّتٌ عَنْ إنْسانٍ مَيِّتٍ؟ هَذا كُلُّهُ زائِلٌ!

For an event the sons of man, and an event the beasts, even one event to them; as the death of this, so the death of that; and one spirit to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole vanity.

20 ت َؤُولُ جَميعُها المَكانِ نَفْسِهِ. هِيَ مِنَ التُّرابِ، وَإلَى التُّرابِ تَعُودُ.

The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust.

21 و َمَنِ يَدرِي إنْ كانَتْ رُوحُ الإنسانِ تَصعَدُ إلَى اللهِ، بَينَما تَنزِلُ رُوحُ البَهِيمَةِ تَنحَدِرُ تَحتَ الأرْضِ؟»

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 ف َرَأيتُ أنَّ أفضَلَ ما يُمكِنُ أنْ يَفعَلَهُ البَشَرِ هُوَ أنْ يَتَمَتَّعُوا بِما يَعمَلُونَهُ. هَذا هُوَ نَصِيبُهُمْ. فَمَنْ يَقدِرُ أنْ يُعِينَهُمْ عَلَى رُؤْيَةِ ما سَيَحدُثُ لَهُمْ مُسْتَقبَلاً.

And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?