1 T o everything -- a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:

To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven:

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

A time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pluck up what is planted,

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

A time to kill 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 mourn, And a time to skip.

A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 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.

A time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

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

A time to get and a time to lose, 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 keep silence 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 for war and a time for peace.

9 W hat advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?

What profit remains for the worker from his toil?

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

I have seen the painful labor and exertion and miserable business which God has given to the sons of men with which to exercise and busy themselves.

11 T he 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.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He also has planted eternity in men’s hearts and minds, yet so that men cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

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

I know that there is nothing better for them than to be glad and to get and do good as long as they live;

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

And also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.

14 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.

I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor anything taken from it. And God does it so that men will fear Him.

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

That which is now already has been, and that which is to be already has been; and God seeks that which has passed by.

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

Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice there was wickedness, and that in the place of righteousness wickedness was there also.

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

I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and purpose and for every work.

18 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.

I said in my heart regarding the subject of the sons of men, God is trying (separating and sifting) them, that they may see that by themselves they are but like beasts.

19 F or 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.

For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath and spirit, so that a man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)!

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

All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 W ho 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?

Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?

22 A nd 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?

So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his portion. For who shall bring him back to see what will happen after he is gone?