²     a time to be born and a time to die,
    a time to plant and a time to uproot,^(B)
3     a time to kill^(C) and a time to heal,
    a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴     a time to weep and a time to laugh,
    a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
    a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶     a time to search and a time to give up,
    a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷     a time to tear and a time to mend,
    a time to be silent^(D) and a time to speak,
⁸     a time to love and a time to hate,
    a time for war and a time for peace.

⁴ “Show me, Lord, my life’s end
    and the number of my days;^(A)
    let me know how fleeting^(B) my life is.^(C)

⁵ A person’s days are determined;^(A)
    you have decreed the number of his months^(B)
    and have set limits he cannot exceed.^(C)
6 So look away from him and let him alone,^(D)
    till he has put in his time like a hired laborer.^(E)

⁷ “At least there is hope for a tree:^(F)
    If it is cut down, it will sprout again,
    and its new shoots^(G) will not fail.^(H)