Ecclesiastes 3–5

3RD CHAPTER

Everything in God’s Own Time

¹Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven: 

²a time to be born and 

a time to die, 

a time to plant and 

a time to pull out what was planted, 

³a time to kill and 

a time to heal, 

a time to tear down and 

a time to build up, 

⁴a time to cry and 

a time to laugh, 

a time to mourn and 

a time to dance, 

⁵a time to scatter stones and 

a time to gather them, 

a time to hug and 

a time to stop hugging, 

⁶a time to start looking and 

a time to stop looking, 

a time to keep and 

a time to throw away, 

⁷a time to tear apart and 

a time to sew together, 

a time to keep quiet and 

a time to speak out, 

⁸a time to love and 

a time to hate, 

a time for war and 

a time for peace. 

God Gives Mortals a Sense of Eternity

⁹What do working people gain from their hard labor? ¹⁰I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that God has placed on them. ¹¹It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end ⸤of time⸥. 

¹²I realize that there’s nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives. ¹³It is a gift from God to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work. 

¹⁴I realize that whatever God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. God does this so that people will fear him. 

¹⁵Whatever has happened ⸤in the past⸥ is present now. Whatever is going to happen ⸤in the future⸥ has already happened ⸤in the past⸥. God will call the past to account. 

Humans and Animals Meet the Same End

¹⁶I saw something else under the sun: 

There is wickedness where justice should be found. 

There is wickedness where righteousness should be found. 

¹⁷I thought to myself, “God will judge righteous people as well as wicked people, because there is a specific time for every activity and every work that is done.” ¹⁸I thought to myself, “God is going to test humans in order to show them that they are ⸤like⸥ animals.” ¹⁹Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath ⸤of life⸥. Humans have no advantage over animals. All ⸤of life⸥ is pointless. ²⁰All ⸤life⸥ goes to the same place. All ⸤life⸥ comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground. ²¹Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth? 

²²I saw that there’s nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot ⸤in life⸥. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them? 

4TH CHAPTER

Better Not to Have Been Born

¹Next, I turned to look at all the acts of oppression that make people suffer under the sun. Look at the tears of those who suffer! No one can comfort them. Their oppressors have ⸤all⸥ the power. No one can comfort those who suffer. ²I congratulate the dead, who have already died, rather than the living, who still have to carry on. ³But the person who hasn’t been born yet is better off than both of them. He hasn’t seen the evil that is done under the sun. 

Hard Work Versus Laziness

⁴Then I saw that all hard work and skillful effort come from rivalry. Even this is pointless. ⸤It’s like⸥ trying to catch the wind. ⁵A fool folds his hands and wastes away. ⁶One handful of peace and quiet is better than two handfuls of hard work and of trying to catch the wind. 

Those Who Are All Alone

⁷Next, I turned to look at something pointless under the sun: ⁸There are people who are all alone. They have no children or other family members. So there is no end to all the hard work they have to do. Their eyes are never satisfied with riches. But ⸤they never ask themselves⸥ why they are working so hard and depriving themselves of good things. Even this is pointless and a terrible tragedy. 

Two Are Better Than One

⁹Two people are better than one because ⸤together⸥ they have a good reward for their hard work. ¹⁰If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is ⸤all⸥ alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up. ¹¹Again, if two people lie down together, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm? ¹²Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken. 

Rulers and Fickle Citizens

¹³A young man who is poor and wise is better than an old, foolish king who won’t take advice any longer. 

¹⁴A young man came out of prison to rule as king, even though he had been born in poverty in that same kingdom. ¹⁵I saw all living people moving about under the sun. They sided with the second young man, the king’s successor. ¹⁶There was no end to all those people, everyone whom he led.^aBut those who will come later will not be happy with the successor. Even this is pointless. ⸤It’s like⸥ trying to catch the wind. 

5TH CHAPTER^a

Don’t Daydream or Speak Carelessly When You Worship

¹Watch your step when you go to the house of God. It is better to go there and listen than to bring the sacrifices fools bring. Fools are unaware that they are doing ⸤something⸥ evil. 

²Don’t be in a hurry to talk. Don’t be eager to speak in the presence of God. Since God is in heaven and you are on earth, limit the number of your words. 

³Daydreaming comes when there are too many worries. 

Careless speaking comes when there are too many words. 

⁴When you make a promise to God, don’t be slow to keep it because God doesn’t like fools. Keep your promise. ⁵It is better not to make a promise than to make one and not keep it. ⁶Don’t let your mouth talk you into committing a sin. Don’t say in the presence of a ⸤temple⸥ messenger, “My promise was a mistake!” Why should God become angry at your excuse and destroy what you’ve accomplished? 

⁷In spite of many daydreams, pointless actions, and empty words, you should still fear God. 

Corrupt Officials Have Corrupt Officials over Them

⁸Don’t be surprised if you see poor people being oppressed, denied justice, or denied their rights in any district. One authority is watching over another, and they both have authorities watching over them. ⁹Yet, a king is an advantage for a country with cultivated fields. 

The Value of Money

¹⁰Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves wealth will never be satisfied with more income. Even this is pointless. ¹¹As the number of goods increase, so do the number of people who consume them. What do owners gain ⸤from all their goods⸥ except ⸤the opportunity⸥ to look at them? 

¹²The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep. 

Economic Ruin

¹³There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them. ¹⁴These hoarded riches were then lost in bad business deals. The owners had children, but now they have nothing to give them. ¹⁵They came from their mother’s womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won’t even be able to take a handful of their earnings with them from all their hard work. 

¹⁶This also is a painful tragedy: They leave exactly as they came. What advantage do they gain from working so hard for the wind? ¹⁷They spend their entire lives in darkness, in constant frustration, sickness, and resentment. 

Conclusion: God Alone Gives Contentment

¹⁸At last I have seen what is good and beautiful: It is to eat and drink and to enjoy the good in all our hard work under the sun during the brief lives God gives us. That is our lot ⸤in life⸥. ¹⁹It is a gift from God when God gives some people wealth and possessions, the power to enjoy them, ⸤the ability⸥ to accept their lot in life, and ⸤the ability⸥ to rejoice in their own hard work. ²⁰These people won’t give much thought to their brief lives because God keeps them occupied with the joy in their hearts.