1 To all things there is an appointed time, and a time to euery purpose vnder the heauen. 2 A time to bee borne, and a time to die: a time to plant, and a time to plucke vp that which is planted. 3 A time to slay, and a time to heale: a time to breake downe, and a time to builde. 4 A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, 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 farre from embracing. 6 A time to seeke, and a time to lose: a time to keepe, and a time to cast away. 7 A time to rent, and a time to sowe: a time to keepe silence, and a time to speake. 8 A time to loue, and a time to hate: a time of warre, and a time of peace. 9 What profite hath hee that worketh of the thing wherein he trauaileth? 10 I haue seene the trauaile that God hath giuen to ye sonnes of men to humble them thereby. 11 He hath made euery thing beautifull in his time: also he hath set the worlde in their heart, yet can not man finde out the worke that God hath wrought from the beginning euen to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing good in them, but to reioyce, and to doe good in his life. 13 And also that euery man eateth and drinketh, and seeth the commoditie of all his labour. this is the gift of God. 14 I knowe that whatsoeuer God shall doe, it shalbe for euer: to it can no man adde, and from it can none diminish: for God hath done it, that they should feare before him. 15 What is that that hath bene? that is nowe: and that that shalbe, hath now bene: for God requireth that which is past. 16 And moreouer I haue seene vnder the sunne the place of iudgement, where was wickednesse, and the place of iustice where was iniquitie. 17 I thought in mine heart, God wil iudge the iust and the wicked: for time is there for euery purpose and for euery worke. 18 I considered in mine heart the state of the children of men that God had purged them: yet to see to, they are in themselues as beastes. 19 For the condition of the children of men, and the condition of beasts are euen as one condition vnto them. As the one dyeth, so dyeth the other: for they haue all one breath, and there is no excellency of man aboue ye beast: for all is vanitie. 20 All goe to one place, and all was of the dust, and all shall returne to the dust. 21 Who knoweth whether the spirit of man ascend vpward, and the spirit of the beast descend downeward to the earth? 22 Therefore I see that there is nothing better then that a man shoulde reioyce in his affaires, because that is his portion. For who shall bring him to see what shalbe after him?
A Time for Everything
1 Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses.
2 He sets the time for birth and the time for death,
the time for planting and the time for pulling up,
3 the time for killing and the time for healing,
the time for tearing down and the time for building.
4 He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy,
the time for mourning and the time for dancing,
5 the time for making love and the time for not making love,
the time for kissing and the time for not kissing.
6 He sets the time for finding and the time for losing,
the time for saving and the time for throwing away,
7 the time for tearing and the time for mending,
the time for silence and the time for talk.
8 He sets the time for love and the time for hate,
the time for war and the time for peace.
9 What do we gain from all our work? 10 I know the heavy burdens that God has laid on us. 11 He has set the right time for everything. He has given us a desire to know the future, but never gives us the satisfaction of fully understanding what he does. 12 So I realized that all we can do is be happy and do the best we can while we are still alive. 13 All of us should eat and drink and enjoy what we have worked for. It is God's gift.
14 I know that everything God does will last forever. You can't add anything to it or take anything away from it. And one thing God does is to make us stand in awe of him. 15 Whatever happens or can happen has already happened before. God makes the same thing happen again and again.
Injustice in the World
16 In addition, I have also noticed that in this world you find wickedness where justice and right ought to be. 17 I told myself, “God is going to judge the righteous and the evil alike, because every thing, every action, will happen at its own set time.” 18 I decided that God is testing us, to show us that we are no better than animals. 19 After all, the same fate awaits human beings and animals alike. One dies just like the other. They are the same kind of creature. A human being is no better off than an animal, because life has no meaning for either. 20 They are both going to the same place—the dust. They both came from it; they will both go back to it. 21 How can anyone be sure that the human spirit goes upward while an animal's spirit goes down into the ground? 22 So I realized then that the best thing we can do is enjoy what we have worked for. There is nothing else we can do. There is no way for us to know what will happen after we die.