Ecclesiastes 3–5

Chapter 3

A Time for Everything

¹There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a ^atime for every ¹event under heaven—

²A time to give birth and a ^atime to die;

A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.

³A ^atime to kill and a time to heal;

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

⁴A time to ^aweep and a time to ^blaugh;

A time to mourn and a time to ^cdance.

⁵A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones;

A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.

⁶A time to search and a time to give up as lost;

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

⁷A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;

A time to ^abe silent and a time to speak.

⁸A time to love and a time to ^ahate;

A time for war and a time for peace.

^9aWhat profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?

¹⁰I have seen the ^atask which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.

God Set Eternity in the Heart of Man

¹¹He has ^amade everything ¹appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, ²yet so that man ^bwill not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

¹²I know that there is ^anothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;

¹³moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—it is the ^agift of God.

¹⁴I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should ^1afear Him.

¹⁵That ^awhich is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.

¹⁶Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is ^awickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

¹⁷I said ¹to myself, “^aGod will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a ^btime for every ²matter and for every deed is there.

¹⁸I said ¹to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but ^abeasts.”

^19aFor the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts ¹is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is ²vanity.

²⁰All go to the same place. All came from the ^adust and all return to the dust.

²¹Who knows that the ^abreath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

²²I have seen that ^anothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see ^bwhat will occur after him?

Chapter 4

The Evils of Oppression

¹Then I looked again at all the acts of ^aoppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had ^bno one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them.

²So ^aI congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living.

³But ^abetter off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun.

⁴I have seen that every labor and every ^askill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is ^1bvanity and striving after wind.

⁵The fool ^afolds his hands and ^bconsumes his own flesh.

⁶One hand full of rest is ^abetter than two fists full of labor and striving after wind.

⁷Then I looked again at vanity under the sun.

⁸There was a certain man without a ¹dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, ^ahis eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And ^bfor whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a ^cgrievous task.

⁹Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.

¹⁰For if ¹either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not ²another to lift him up.

¹¹Furthermore, if two lie down together they ¹keep warm, but ^ahow can one be warm alone?

¹²And if ¹one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.

¹³A ^apoor yet wise lad is better than an old and foolish king who no longer knows how to receive ¹instruction.

¹⁴For he has come ^aout of prison to become king, even though he was born poor in his kingdom.

¹⁵I have seen all the living under the sun throng to the side of the second lad who ¹replaces him.

¹⁶There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is ^avanity and striving after wind.

Chapter 5

Your Attitude Toward God

^11aGuard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the ^bsacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil.

²¹Do not be ^ahasty ²in word or ³impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your ^bwords be few.

³For the dream comes through much ¹effort and the voice of a ^afool through many words.

⁴When you ^amake a vow to God, do not be late in paying it; for He takes no delight in fools. ^bPay what you vow!

⁵It is ^abetter that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay.

⁶Do not let your ¹speech cause ²you to sin and do not say in the presence of the messenger of God that it was a ^amistake. Why should God be angry on account of your voice and destroy the work of your hands?

⁷For in many dreams and in many words there is ¹emptiness. Rather, ^2afear God.

⁸If you see ^aoppression of the poor and ^bdenial of justice and righteousness in the province, do not be ^cshocked at the ¹sight; for one ²official watches over another official, and there are higher ³officials over them.

⁹After all, a king who cultivates the field is an advantage to the land.

The Folly of Riches

^10aHe who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is ¹vanity.

^11aWhen good things increase, those who consume them increase. So what is the advantage to their owners except to ¹look on?

¹²The sleep of the working man is ^apleasant, whether he eats little or much; but the ¹full stomach of the rich man does not allow him to sleep.

¹³There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun: ^ariches being ¹hoarded by their owner to his hurt.

¹⁴When those riches were lost through ¹a bad investment and he had fathered a son, then there was nothing ²to support him.

^15aAs he had come naked from his mother’s womb, so will he return as he came. He will ^btake nothing from the fruit of his labor that he can carry in his hand.

¹⁶This also is a grievous evil—exactly as a man ¹is born, thus will he ²die. So ^awhat is the advantage to him who ^btoils for the wind?

¹⁷Throughout his life ^ahe also eats in darkness with ^bgreat vexation, sickness and anger.

¹⁸Here is what I have seen to be ^agood and ¹fitting: to eat, to drink and ²enjoy oneself in all one’s labor in which he toils under the sun during the few ³years of his life which God has given him; for this is his ^4breward.

¹⁹Furthermore, as for every man to whom ^aGod has given riches and wealth, He has also ^bempowered him to eat from them and to receive his ¹reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the ^cgift of God.

²⁰For he will not often ¹consider the ²years of his life, because ^aGod keeps ³him occupied with the gladness of his heart.