Ecclesiastes 3–4

3To every thing there is a season, and ^aa time to every ^bpurpose under the heaven:

²A time ^†to be born, and a time to ^cdie;

A time to plant, and a time to ^dpluck up that which is planted;

³A time to kill, and a time to heal;

A time to break down, and a time to build up;

⁴A time to weep, and a time ^eto laugh;

A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

⁵A time ^fto cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;

A time to embrace, and a time ^g†to refrain from embracing;

⁶A time to ^||get, and a time to lose;

A time to keep, and a time to cast away;

⁷A time to ^hrend, and a time to sew;

A time ⁱto keep silence, and a time to speak;

⁸A time to love, and a time to hate;

A time of war, and a time of peace.

^9jWhat profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

¹⁰I have seen the ^ktravail, which ^lGod hath given to the sons of men ^kto be exercised in it. ¹¹He hath made every thing ^mbeautiful ⁿin his time: also he hath ^oset the world in their heart, so that ^pno man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end. ¹²I know ^qthat there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and ^rto do good in his life. ¹³And also ^sthat every man should eat and drink, and ^tenjoy the good of all his labour, ^uit is the gift of God. ¹⁴I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: ^xnothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. ^15yThat which hath been is ^znow; and that which is to be hath ^zalready been; and God ^arequireth ^†that which is past.

¹⁶And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that ^bwickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. ¹⁷I said in mine heart, ^aGod shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is ^ca time ^dthere for every purpose and for every work.

¹⁸I said in mine heart ^econcerning the estate of the sons of men, ^||that God might ^fmanifest them, and that they might see ^gthat they themselves are beasts. ¹⁹For ^hthat which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even ⁱone thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. ²⁰All go unto one place; ^kall are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. ²¹Who knoweth ^lthe spirit ^†of man that ^†goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? ²²Wherefore I perceive ^mthat there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for ⁿthat is his portion: for who shall bring him to see ^owhat shall be after him?

4So ^aI returned, and considered all the ^boppressions that are done under the sun: and behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had ^cno comforter; and on the ^†side of their oppressors there was power; but they had ^cno comforter. ²Wherefore ^dI praised the dead which are ^ealready dead more than the living which are ^fyet alive. ³Yea, better is he than both they, ^dgwhich hath not ^fyet been, who hath not seen the evil work that is done under the sun.

⁴Again, I considered all travail, and ^†every right work, that ^†for this a man ⁱis envied of his neighbour. This is also ^jvanity and vexation of spirit. ⁵The fool ^kfoldeth his hands together, and ^leateth his own flesh. ^6mBetter is an handful with ⁿquietness, than both the hands full with travail and ^jvexation of spirit.

⁷Then ^oI returned, and I saw vanity under the sun. ⁸There is one alone, and there is not a second; yea, he hath neither child nor brother: yet is there no end of all his labour; neither is his ^peye satisfied with riches; neither ^qsaith he, ^rFor whom do I labour, and bereave my soul of good? This is also vanity, yea, it is a sore ^stravail. ⁹Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. ¹⁰For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but ^twoe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. ¹¹Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but ^uhow can one be warm alone? ¹²And if one ^xprevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a ^ythreefold cord is not quickly broken.

^13zBetter is a ^apoor and a wise child than an old and ^bfoolish king, ^†who will no more be ^cadmonished. ^14dFor out of ^eprison he cometh to reign; ^fwhereas also he that is born in his kingdom becometh poor. ¹⁵I considered all the living which walk under the sun, ^gwith the second child that shall stand up in his stead. ¹⁶There is no end of all the people, even of all that have been before them: ^hthey also that come after shall not rejoice in him. Surely this also is ⁱvanity and vexation of spirit.