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A Time for Everything

For everything there is a season,
    a time for every activity under heaven.

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A Time for Everything

There is a time(A) for everything,
    and a season for every activity under the heavens:

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17 I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.”

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17 I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment(A)
    both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
    a time to judge every deed.”(B)

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red sky in the morning means foul weather all day.’ You know how to interpret the weather signs in the sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the signs of the times![a]

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Footnotes

  1. 16:2-3 Several manuscripts do not include any of the words in 16:2-3 after He replied.

and in the morning, ‘Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 16:3 Some early manuscripts do not have When evening comes … of the times.

Those who obey him will not be punished. Those who are wise will find a time and a way to do what is right, for there is a time and a way for everything, even when a person is in trouble.

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Whoever obeys his command will come to no harm,
    and the wise heart will know the proper time and procedure.
For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter,(A)
    though a person may be weighed down by misery.

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14 Enjoy prosperity while you can,
    but when hard times strike, realize that both come from God.
    Remember that nothing is certain in this life.

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14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(A)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

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26 But Elisha asked him, “Don’t you realize that I was there in spirit when Naaman stepped down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to receive money and clothing, olive groves and vineyards, sheep and cattle, and male and female servants?

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26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time(A) to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves?(B)

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23 Everyone enjoys a fitting reply;
    it is wonderful to say the right thing at the right time!

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23 A person finds joy in giving an apt reply(A)
    and how good is a timely word!(B)

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After much thought, I decided to cheer myself with wine. And while still seeking wisdom, I clutched at foolishness. In this way, I tried to experience the only happiness most people find during their brief life in this world.

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I tried cheering myself with wine,(A) and embracing folly(B)—my mind still guiding me with wisdom. I wanted to see what was good for people to do under the heavens during the few days of their lives.

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17 So I came to hate life because everything done here under the sun is so troubling. Everything is meaningless—like chasing the wind.

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Toil Is Meaningless

17 So I hated life, because the work that is done under the sun was grievous to me. All of it is meaningless, a chasing after the wind.(A)

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12 But while in deep distress, Manasseh sought the Lord his God and sincerely humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.

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12 In his distress he sought the favor of the Lord his God and humbled(A) himself greatly before the God of his ancestors.

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13 I devoted myself to search for understanding and to explore by wisdom everything being done under heaven. I soon discovered that God has dealt a tragic existence to the human race.

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13 I applied my mind to study and to explore by wisdom all that is done under the heavens.(A) What a heavy burden God has laid on mankind!(B)

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