Ecclesiastes 3:1-17
Legacy Standard Bible
A Time for Everything
3 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a (A)time for every [a]matter under heaven—
2 A time to give birth and a (B)time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
3 A (C)time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
4 A time to (D)weep and a time to (E)laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to (F)dance.
5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.
6 A time to search and a time to lose;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to (G)be silent and a time to speak.
8 A time to love and a time to (H)hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
9 (I)What advantage is there to the worker from that in which he labors? 10 I have seen the (J)endeavor which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.
God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man
11 He has (K)made everything [b]beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, [c]yet so that man (L)will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.
12 I know that [d]there is (M)nothing better for them than to be glad and to do good in one’s lifetime; 13 moreover, that every man who eats and drinks and sees good in all his labor—it is the (N)gift of God. 14 I know that everything God does will be forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it—God has so worked that men should [e](O)fear Him. 15 That (P)which is has been already and that which will be has already been, yet God seeks what is pursued.
16 Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is (Q)wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, “(R)God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a (S)time for every [f]matter and for every work is there.
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- Ecclesiastes 3:1 Lit delight
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or appropriate
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or without which man
- Ecclesiastes 3:12 Lit there is nothing good in man except to be glad
- Ecclesiastes 3:14 Or be in awe before Him
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 Or delight
Ecclesiastes 3:1-17
Lexham English Bible
God Has Ordained the Ebb and Flow of Human Activities
3 For everything there is an appointed time, a time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to bear[a] and a time to die;
a time to plant and a time to root up 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 weep and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn and a time to dance;
5 a time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones;
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek 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;
a time to be silent 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 does the worker gain in his toil?
No One Understands God’s Mysterious Plan
10 I have seen the busyness God gives to humans[b] to preoccupy[c] them. 11 He has made everything suitable in its time. He also has put the past[d] in their hearts, yet no one can grasp what God does from the beginning to the end. 12 So I realized that there is nothing better[e] for them than to rejoice and enjoy themselves[f] during their lives. 13 And for anyone to eat and drink, that is, to enjoy the fruit of all his toil,[g] this also is a gift of God.
14 I know everything God does endures forever;
nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken from it,
for God so acts that humans[h] might stand in awe before him.
15 What is—it already was,
and what will be—it already is,
for God will do what he has done.[i]
God’s Mysterious Plan Allows Injustice to Exist in the World
16 I saw something else under the sun: instead of justice there was evil; instead of righteousness there was wickedness. 17 So I said to myself,[j] “God will surely judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed[k] a time of judgment for every deed and every work.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:2 Or “a time to be born”; MT reads the active form “to bear children”
- Ecclesiastes 3:10 Literally “the sons of the man”
- Ecclesiastes 3:10 Or “to be busy”
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Literally “eternity”
- Ecclesiastes 3:12 Literally “no good”
- Ecclesiastes 3:12 Literally “to rejoice and to do good”
- Ecclesiastes 3:13 Literally “to see good in all his toil”
- Ecclesiastes 3:14 Or “they”
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Literally “God seeks what is pursued”
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 Literally “in my heart”
- Ecclesiastes 3:17 The MT reads שָׁם “there,” but repointing to שָׂם, “he has appointed,” makes better sense
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