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For every matter has its time and way, although the troubles of mortals lie heavy upon them.(A)

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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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Everything Has Its Time

For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven:(A)

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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, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter and for every work.”(A)

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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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42 saying, “If you, even you, had only recognized on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 Indeed, the days will come upon you when your enemies will set up ramparts around you and surround you and hem you in on every side.(A) 44 They will crush you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave within you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God.”[a](B)

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Footnotes

  1. 19.44 Gk lacks from God

42 and said, “If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes. 43 The days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment against you and encircle you and hem you in on every side.(A) 44 They will dash you to the ground, you and the children within your walls.(B) They will not leave one stone on another,(C) because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming(D) to you.”

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26 Just as it was in the days of Noah, so, too, it will be in the days of the Son of Man.(A) 27 They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage until the day Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed all of them. 28 Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot, they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building,(B) 29 but on the day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and sulfur from heaven and destroyed all of them; 30 it will be like that on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.

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26 “Just as it was in the days of Noah,(A) so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.

28 “It was the same in the days of Lot.(B) People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. 29 But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.

30 “It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.(C)

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12 On that day the Lord God of hosts
    called for weeping and mourning,
    for baldness and putting on sackcloth,(A)
13 but instead there was joy and festivity,
    killing oxen and slaughtering sheep,
    eating meat and drinking wine.
“Let us eat and drink,
    for tomorrow we die.”(B)
14 The Lord of hosts has revealed himself in my ears:
“Surely this iniquity will not be forgiven you until you die,”
    says the Lord God of hosts.(C)

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12 The Lord, the Lord Almighty,
    called you on that day(A)
to weep(B) and to wail,
    to tear out your hair(C) and put on sackcloth.(D)
13 But see, there is joy and revelry,(E)
    slaughtering of cattle and killing of sheep,
    eating of meat and drinking of wine!(F)
“Let us eat and drink,” you say,
    “for tomorrow we die!”(G)

14 The Lord Almighty has revealed this in my hearing:(H) “Till your dying day this sin will not be atoned(I) for,” says the Lord, the Lord Almighty.

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11 Woe to the guilty! How unfortunate they are,
    for what their hands have done shall be done to them.(A)
12 My people—their oppressors extort them,
    and creditors[a] rule over them.
O my people, your leaders mislead you
    and confuse the course of your paths.(B)

13 The Lord rises to argue his case;
    he stands to judge the peoples.(C)
14 The Lord enters into judgment
    with the elders and princes of his people:
It is you who have devoured the vineyard;
    the spoil of the poor is in your houses.(D)

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Footnotes

  1. 3.12 Gk: Heb women

11 Woe to the wicked!(A)
    Disaster(B) is upon them!
They will be paid back(C)
    for what their hands have done.(D)

12 Youths(E) oppress my people,
    women rule over them.
My people, your guides lead you astray;(F)
    they turn you from the path.

13 The Lord takes his place in court;(G)
    he rises to judge(H) the people.
14 The Lord enters into judgment(I)
    against the elders and leaders of his people:
“It is you who have ruined my vineyard;
    the plunder(J) from the poor(K) is in your houses.

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13 Consider the work of God;
    who can make straight what he has made crooked?(A)

14 In the day of prosperity, be joyful, and in the day of adversity, consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that mortals may not find out anything that comes after them.(B)

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13 Consider what God has done:(A)

Who can straighten
    what he has made crooked?(B)
14 When times are good, be happy;
    but when times are bad, consider this:
God has made the one
    as well as the other.(C)
Therefore, no one can discover
    anything about their future.

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11 He has made everything suitable for its time; moreover, he has put a sense of past and future into their minds, yet they cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.(A)

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11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(A) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(B) what God has done from beginning to end.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that

Warning against Unbelief

Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says,

“Today, if you hear his voice,(A)
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion,
    as on the day of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors put me to the test,[a]
though they had seen my works 10     for forty years.
Therefore I was angry with that generation,
and I said, ‘They always go astray in their hearts,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 As in my anger I swore,
    ‘They will not enter my rest.’ ”

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Footnotes

  1. 3.9 Other ancient authorities read tempted me, tested me

Warning Against Unbelief

So, as the Holy Spirit says:(A)

“Today, if you hear his voice,
    do not harden your hearts(B)
as you did in the rebellion,
    during the time of testing in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested and tried me,
    though for forty years they saw what I did.(C)
10 That is why I was angry with that generation;
    I said, ‘Their hearts are always going astray,
    and they have not known my ways.’
11 So I declared on oath in my anger,(D)
    ‘They shall never enter my rest.’ (E)[a](F)

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Footnotes

  1. Hebrews 3:11 Psalm 95:7-11

25 Once the owner of the house has got up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then in reply he will say to you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’(A)

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25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’

“But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’(A)

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Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the inclination of your heart and the desire of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment.(A)

10 Banish anxiety from your mind, and put away pain from your body, for youth and the dawn of life are vanity.(B)

12 Remember your creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years draw near when you will say, “I have no pleasure in them”;

You who are young, be happy while you are young,
    and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth.
Follow the ways of your heart
    and whatever your eyes see,
but know that for all these things
    God will bring you into judgment.(A)
10 So then, banish anxiety(B) from your heart
    and cast off the troubles of your body,
    for youth and vigor are meaningless.(C)

12 Remember(D) your Creator
    in the days of your youth,
before the days of trouble(E) come
    and the years approach when you will say,
    “I find no pleasure in them”—