3 To every thing there is a season, and a time for every purpose under the heaven:

² a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

³ 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 dance;

⁵ 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 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 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.

8 Who is as the wise man? And who knoweth the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom maketh his face to shine, and the boldness of his face shall be changed.

² I counsel thee to keep the king’s commandment, and that because of thy oath to God.

³ Be not hasty to go out of his sight. Stand not for an evil cause, for he doeth whatsoever pleaseth him.

⁴ Where the word of a king is, there is power; and who may say unto him, “What doest thou?”

⁵ Whoso keepeth the commandment shall feel no evil thing, and a wise man’s heart discerneth both time and judgment.

⁶ Because for every purpose there is a time and a judgment, therefore the misery of man is great upon him.

⁷ For he knoweth not that which shall be; for who can tell him when it shall be?

⁸ There is no man who hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit, neither hath he power in the day of death. And there is no discharge in that war, neither shall wickedness deliver those who are given to it.

⁹ All this have I seen, and applied my heart unto every work that is done under the sun: there is a time wherein a man ruleth over another to his own hurt.

¹¹ I returned and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all.

¹² For man also knoweth not his time: As the fishes that are taken in an evil net, and as the birds that are caught in the snare, so are the sons of men snared in an evil time when it falleth suddenly upon them.