Ecclesiastes 3
EasyEnglish Bible
A right time for everything
3 There is a right time for everything.
Everything that we do on the earth has a proper time.
2 There is a time to be born,
and there is a time to die.
There is a time to plant seeds.
There is a time to pull the plants out of the ground.
3 There is a time to kill people.
There is a time to make people well.
There is a time to destroy things.
There is a time to build things.
4 There is a time to weep.
There is a time to laugh.
There is a time to be sad.
There is a time to dance.
5 There is a time to throw stones away.
There is a time to pick them up and use them.
There is a time to hug people.
There is a time to turn away from people.
6 There is a time to look for things that you have lost.
There is a time to accept that you have lost them.
There is a time to keep things.
There is a time to throw things away.
7 There is a time to tear our clothes.
There is a time to mend them.
There is a time to say nothing.
There is a time to speak.
8 There is a time to love.
There is a time to hate.
There is a time for war.
There is a time for peace.
9 People work very hard, but what do they receive in return? 10 I have seen the difficult work that God has given people to do. He has caused them to be very busy. 11 God has chosen a good time for all things to happen. He has caused people to think about things that will continue for ever. But nobody can completely understand everything that God has done, from the beginning of their lives to the end.
12 So I realized that people should be happy. They should enjoy good things as long as they live. There is nothing better for people to do than that. 13 People should be happy to eat and to drink. They should enjoy the work that they do. All these things are gifts from God.
14 I know that everything that God does continues for ever. Nobody can add anything to it. Nobody can take anything away from it. God does these things so that people will respect his authority.
15 Whatever is happening now has happened before.
Everything that will happen in the future has already happened.
God causes the same things to happen again and again.[a]
Are people like animals?
16 I saw something else that happens on the earth.
Judges should choose what is right,
but instead they choose what is wicked.
They should decide what is fair,
but they do evil things.
17 I said to myself,
‘One day, God will judge everyone,
righteous people and wicked people.
He has chosen a time for everything.
So there is a right time when he will judge people.’
18 I also thought, ‘God wants people to know that they are like animals. That is why he tests us. 19 The same thing happens to humans as happens to animals. We all breathe for a time and then we die. Humans are no different to animals. Life has no purpose. 20 All living things finally go to the same place. We all come from the dust of the ground. And we all go back to the dust when we die.[b] 21 Do the spirits of humans go up into the sky when we die? Do the spirits of animals go down into the ground? Nobody really knows.’[c]
22 So I realized that people should enjoy the work that they do. That is the best thing for us to do. It is what God has provided for us. I think that is best, because nobody can show us what will finally happen to us.
Footnotes
- 3:15 God is the one who decides the right time for things to happen on the earth. We need to understand that he rules over all things. It is important to understand that God has a reason for all the things that he does. We will never understand everything that God does but we can enjoy our lives if we respect his authority.
- 3:20 See Genesis 3:19.
- 3:21 The Hebrew word for ‘spirit’ can also mean ‘breath’. The Teacher says more about this in Ecclesiastes 12:7.
Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version
A Time for Everything
3 There is a time(A) for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
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.
9 What do workers gain from their toil?(E) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(F) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(H) what God has done from beginning to end.(I) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(J) and find satisfaction(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(L) 14 I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.(M)
15 Whatever is has already been,(N)
and what will be has been before;(O)
and God will call the past to account.[b]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment(P)
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”(Q)
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(R) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(T) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(V) because that is their lot.(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit
Ecclesiastes 3
New King James Version
Everything Has Its Time
3 To everything there is a season,
A (A)time for every purpose under heaven:
2 A time [a]to be born,
And (B)a time to die;
A time to plant,
And a time to pluck what 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 (C)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;
(D)A time to embrace,
And a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to gain,
And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
And a time to throw away;
7 A time to tear,
And a time to sew;
(E)A time to keep silence,
And a time to (F)speak;
8 A time to love,
And a time to (G)hate;
A time of war,
And a time of peace.
The God-Given Task
9 (H)What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? 10 (I)I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that (J)no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.
12 I know that nothing is (K)better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that (L)every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.
14 I know that whatever God does,
It shall be forever.
(M)Nothing can be added to it,
And nothing taken from it.
God does it, that men should fear before Him.
15 (N)That which is has already been,
And what is to be has already been;
And God [b]requires an account of [c]what is past.
Injustice Seems to Prevail
16 Moreover (O)I saw under the sun:
In the place of [d]judgment,
Wickedness was there;
And in the place of righteousness,
[e]Iniquity was there.
17 I said in my heart,
(P)“God shall judge the righteous and the wicked,
For there is a time there for every [f]purpose and for every work.”
18 I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” 19 (Q)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place: (R)all are from the dust, and all return to dust. 21 (S)Who[g] knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? 22 (T)So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for (U)that is his [h]heritage. (V)For who can bring him to see what will happen after him?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:2 Lit. to bear
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Lit. seeks
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 what is pursued
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 justice
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 Wickedness
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 desire
- Ecclesiastes 3:21 LXX, Syr., Tg., Vg. Who knows whether the spirit . . . goes upward, and whether . . . goes downward to the earth?
- Ecclesiastes 3:22 portion or lot
Еклисиаст 3
Библия, ревизирано издание
Определеният от Бога порядък на живота
3 (A)Има време за всяко нещо
и срок – за всяка работа под небето:
2 (B)време за раждане и време за умиране;
време за насаждане и време за изкореняване на насаденото;
3 време за убиване и време за изцеляване;
време за събаряне и време за градене;
4 време за плач и време за смях;
време за тъга и време за радост;
5 (C)време за разхвърляне на камъни и време за събиране на камъни;
време за прегръщане и време за въздържане от прегръщането;
6 време за търсене и време за изгубване;
време за пазене и време за хвърляне;
7 (D)време за раздиране и време за шиене;
време за мълчание и време за говорене;
8 (E)време за обичане и време за мразене;
време за война и време за мир.
9 (F)Каква полза за онзи, който работи,
от онова, в което се труди той?
10 (G)Видях труда, който Бог даде
на човешките синове, за да се трудят в него.
11 (H)Той е направил всяко нещо хубаво на времето му;
положил е и вечността в тяхното сърце,
без обаче да може човек да издири
отначало докрай делото, което е направил Бог.
12 (I)Познах, че няма друго, по-добро за тях,
освен да се весели всеки и да благоденства през живота си;
13 (J)и още всеки човек да яде и да пие,
и да се наслаждава от доброто на целия си труд.
Това е дар от Бога.
14 (K)Познах, че всичко, което прави Бог, ще бъде вечно;
не е възможно да се прибави към него, нито да се отнеме от него;
и Бог е направил това, за да се боят хората от Него.
15 (L)Каквото съществува, е станало вече;
и каквото и да стане, е станало вече;
и Бог ще извика отново онова, което е минало.
16 (M)Видях още под слънцето
мястото на съда, а там – беззаконието,
и мястото на правдата, а там – неправдата.
Изводи за живота
17 (N)Казах си:
Бог ще съди праведния и нечестивия;
защото има време в Него за всяко нещо и за всяко дело.
18 Казах в сърцето си относно човешките синове,
че това е, за да ги опита Бог
и за да видят те, че в себе си са като животни.
19 (O)Защото каквото постига човешките синове,
постига и животните: една участ имат;
както умира единият, така умира и другото.
Да! Един дух имат всичките;
и човек не превъзхожда в нищо животното,
защото всичко е суета.
20 (P)Всички отиват на едно място;
всички са от пръстта и всички се връщат в пръстта.
21 (Q)Кой знае, че духът на човешките синове възлиза горе
и че духът на животното слиза долу, на земята?
22 (R)И така, видях, че за човека няма по-добро,
освен да се радва в делата си;
защото това е делът му;
понеже кой ще го върне назад, за да види
онова, което ще бъде след него?
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