A Time for Everything
For everything there is a season, and aa time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to adie;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck 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 aweep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to bdance;
5 a time to acast away stones, and a time to bgather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to crefrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to alose;
a time to keep, and a time to bcast away;
7 a time to atear, and a time to sew;
a time to bkeep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to ahate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God‑Given Task
9 What again has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen athe business that bGod has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is anothing better for them than to be joyful and to bdo good as long as they live; 13 also athat everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is bGod’s gift to man.
14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; anothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. 15 That which is, aalready has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God bseeks what has been driven away.
From Dust to Dust
16 Moreover, aI saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even bthere was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, aGod will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ba 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 abeasts. 19 aFor 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. 20 All go to one place. All are from athe dust, and to dust all return. 21 Who knows whether athe spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that there is anothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for bthat is his lot. Who can bring him to see cwhat will be after him?