A Time for Everything

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

The God-Given Task

⁹ What ^(M)gain has the worker from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen ^(N)the business that ^(O)God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹¹ He has ^(P)made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot ^(Q)find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ¹² I perceived that there is ^(R)nothing better for them than to be joyful and to ^(S)do good as long as they live; ¹³ also ^(T)that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is ^(U)God's gift to man.

¹⁴ I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; ^(V)nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. ¹⁵ That which is, ^(W)already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God ^(X)seeks what has been driven away.^[a]

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶ Moreover, ^(Y)I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even ^(Z)there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, ^(AA)God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ^(AB)a time for every matter and for every work. ¹⁸ I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but ^(AC)beasts. ^19 (AD)For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.^{[b] 20} All go to one place. All are from ^(AE)the dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows whether ^(AF)the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? ²² So I saw that there is ^(AG)nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for ^(AH)that is his lot. Who can bring him to see ^(AI)what will be after him?

The New Commandment

⁷ Beloved, I am writing you ^(A)no new commandment, but ^(B)an old commandment ^(C)that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard. ⁸ At the same time, it is ^(D)a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because^{[a] (E)}the darkness is passing away and ^(F)the true light is already shining. ⁹ Whoever says he is in the light and ^(G)hates his brother is still in darkness. ¹⁰ Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him^[b] there is no ^(H)cause for stumbling. ¹¹ But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness and ^(I)walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

Do Not Love the World

^15 (P)Do not love the world or the things in the world. ^(Q)If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶ For all that is in the world—^(R)the desires of the flesh and ^(S)the desires of the eyes and pride of life^[c]—is not from the Father but is from the world. ¹⁷ And ^(T)the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.

Evil Under the Sun

4 ^(A)Again I ^(B)saw all ^(C)the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had ^(D)no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. ² And I ^(E)thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³ But ^(F)better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

⁴ Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man's envy of his neighbor. This also is ^(G)vanity^[a] and a striving after wind.

⁵ The fool ^(H)folds his hands and ^(I)eats his own flesh.

^6 (J)Better is a handful of ^(K)quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

^7 (L)Again, I saw vanity under the sun: ⁸ one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his ^(M)eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, ^(N)“For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy ^(O)business.

⁹ Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! ¹¹ Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, ^(P)but how can one keep warm alone? ¹² And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

¹³ Better was ^(Q)a poor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how ^(R)to take advice. ¹⁴ For he went ^(S)from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. ¹⁵ I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that^[b] youth who was to stand in the king's^[c] place. ¹⁶ There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is ^(T)vanity and a striving after wind.

Warning Concerning Antichrists

¹⁸ Children, ^(A)it is the last hour, and as you have heard that ^(B)antichrist is coming, so now ^(C)many antichrists have come. ^(D)Therefore we know that it is the last hour. ^19 (E)They went out from us, but they were not of us; for ^(F)if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, ^(G)that it might become plain that they all are not of us. ²⁰ But you have been ^(H)anointed by ^(I)the Holy One, and ^(J)you all have knowledge.^{[a] 21} I write to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and because no lie is of the truth. ²² Who is the liar but ^(K)he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This is ^(L)the antichrist, he who denies the Father and the Son. ^23 (M)No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also. ²⁴ Let ^(N)what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then ^(O)you too will abide in the Son and in the Father. ²⁵ And this is the promise that he made to us^[b]—^(P)eternal life.

²⁶ I write these things to you about ^(Q)those who are trying to deceive you. ²⁷ But ^(R)the anointing that you received from him abides in you, and ^(S)you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and ^(T)is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.

Children of God

²⁸ And now, little children, abide in him, so that ^(U)when he appears ^(V)we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his ^(W)coming. ²⁹ If you know that ^(X)he is righteous, you may be sure that ^(Y)everyone who practices righteousness has been born of him.