Ecclesiastes 3
1599 Geneva Bible
3 1 All things have their time. 14 The works of God are perfect, and cause us to fear him. 17 God shall judge both the just and unjust.
1 To all things there is an [a]appointed time, and a time to 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 slay, and a time to heal: a time to break 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones: a time to embrace, and a time to be far from embracing.
6 A time to seek, and a time to lose: a time to keep, and a time to cast away.
7 A time to rent, and a time to sow: 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.
9 What profit hath he that worketh of the thing wherein he travaileth?
10 I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of men, [b]to humble them thereby.
11 He hath made everything beautiful in his time: also he hath set the [c]world in their heart, yet cannot man find out the work that God hath wrought from the beginning even to the end.
12 I know that there is nothing good in them, but to rejoice, and to do good in his life.
13 And also that every man eateth and drinketh, and seeth the commodity of all his labor. This is the [d]gift of God.
14 I know that whatsoever God shall do, it shall be [e]forever: to it can no man add, and from it can none diminish: for God hath done it, that they should fear before him.
15 What is that that hath been? that is now: and that that shall be, hath now been: for God [f]requireth that which is past.
16 And moreover, I have seen under the Sun the place of judgment, where was wickedness, and the place of justice, where was iniquity.
17 I thought in mine heart, God will judge the just and the wicked: for time is [g]there for every purpose and for every work.
18 I considered in mine heart the state of the children of men, that God had [h]purged them: yet to see too, they are in themselves as beasts.
19 For the condition of the children of men, and the condition of beasts are even as one [i]condition unto them. As the one dieth, so dieth the other: for they have all one breath, and there is no excellency of man above the beast: for all is vanity.
20 All go to one place, and all was of the dust, and all shall return to the dust.
21 Who [j]knoweth whether the spirit of man ascend upward, and the spirit of the beast descend downward to the earth?
22 Therefore I see that there is nothing better than that a man should [k]rejoice in his affairs, because that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:1 He speaketh of this diversity of time for two causes: first to declare that there is nothing in this world perpetual: next to teach us not to be grieved, if we have not all things at once according to our desires, neither enjoy them so long as we would wish.
- Ecclesiastes 3:10 Read Eccl. 1:13.
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 God hath given man a desire, and affection to seek out the things of this world, and to labor therein.
- Ecclesiastes 3:13 Read Eccl. 2:24, and these places declare that we should do all things with sobriety and in the fear of God, forasmuch as he giveth not his gifts to the intent that they should be abused.
- Ecclesiastes 3:14 That is, man shall never be able to let God’s work, but as he hath determined, so it shall come to pass.
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 God only causeth that, which is past, to return.
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 Meaning, with God, howsoever man neglect his duty.
- Ecclesiastes 3:18 And made them pure in their first creation.
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Man is not able by his reason and judgment to put difference between man and beast, as touching those things whereunto both are subject: for the eye cannot judge any otherwise of a man being dead, than of a beast, which is dead: yet by the word of God and faith we easily know the diversity, as verse 21.
- Ecclesiastes 3:21 Meaning, that reason cannot comprehend that which faith believeth herein.
- Ecclesiastes 3:22 By the often repetition of this sentence, as Eccl. 2:24; 3:12, 22; 5:17 and 8:15, he declareth that man by reason can comprehend nothing better in this life, than to use the gifts of God soberly and comfortably: for to know further, is a special gift of God revealed by his Spirit.
传道书 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
万物有时
3 天下万物都有定期，
凡事都有定时。
2 出生有时，死亡有时；
耕种有时，拔出有时；
3 杀戮有时，医治有时；
拆毁有时，建造有时；
4 哭泣有时，欢笑有时；
哀伤有时，雀跃有时；
5 抛石有时，堆石有时[a]；
拥抱有时，避开有时；
6 寻找有时，遗失有时；
保存有时，丢弃有时；
7 撕裂有时，缝合有时；
沉默有时，发言有时；
8 爱慕有时，憎恶有时；
争战有时，和好有时。
9 那么，人劳碌做工有什么益处呢？ 10 我察觉上帝给世人重担，使他们忙碌不休。 11 祂使万事各按其时变得美好，又把永恒的意识放在人心里，人却不能测透上帝从始至终的作为。 12 我认识到，人生在世没有什么比欢乐、享受更好。 13 人人都该吃喝、享受自己劳苦的成果，这是上帝的恩赐。 14 我知道，上帝所做的都会存到永远，谁也不能增减。祂这样安排是叫人敬畏祂。 15 现在的事并不是新事，未来的事也早已发生过。上帝使过去的事再次出现。
世间的不公
16 我又看到日光之下，即使在公道和正义之地也有邪恶。 17 我心里想：“不论义人或恶人，上帝必审判，因为万事万务都有受审之时。” 18 我又想：“至于世人，上帝试验他们，是要他们知道自己与兽类无异。 19 因为人和兽的际遇并无分别，两者都难逃一死，活着都靠一口气。人并不比兽强，一切都是虚空。 20 两者都同归一处，出于尘土，也归于尘土。 21 谁知道人的气息[b]会向上升，兽的气息会降到地下呢？” 22 因此，我觉得没有什么比人享受工作之乐更好，因为这是人当得的。人死后，谁能使他看到世间的事呢？
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