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A Time for Everything

¹ There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a ^(C1)time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—

² A time to be born and a ^(C1)time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. ^(VR1)

³ A ^(C1)time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.

⁴ A time to ^(C1)weep and a time to ^(C2)laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to ^(C3)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 search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.

⁷ A time to ^(F1)tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to ^(C1)keep silent and a time to speak. ^(VR1)

⁸ A time to love and a time to ^(C1)hate;
A time for war and a time for peace. ^(VR1)

^9 (C1)What profit is there for the worker from that in which he labors?¹⁰ I have seen the ^(C1)task which God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

¹² I know that there is ^(C1)nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good as long as they live;¹³ and also that every man should eat and drink and see and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the ^(C1)gift of God.¹⁴ I know that whatever God does, it endures forever; nothing can be added to it nor can anything be taken from it, for God does it so that men will ^(C1)fear and worship Him with awe-filled reverence, knowing that He is God. ^(VR1)15 That ^(C1)which is has already been, and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by so that history repeats itself.

¹⁶ Moreover, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is ^(C1)wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.¹⁷ I said to myself, "^(C1)God will judge both the righteous and the wicked," for there is a ^(C2)time appointed for every matter and for every deed.¹⁸ I said to myself regarding the sons of men, "God is surely testing them in order for them to see that by themselves, without God they are only ^(C1)animals."^19 (C1)For the earthly fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man in and of himself over an animal, for all is vanity.²⁰ All go to the same place. All came from the ^(C1)dust and all return to the dust.²¹ Who knows if the ^(C1)spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?²² So I have seen that there is ^(C1)nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him back to see ^(C2)what will happen after he is gone?