Ecclesiastes 3:1–13

There Is a Time for Everything

3There is a time for everything,

and everything on earth has its special season.

²There is a time to be born

and a time to die.

There is a time to plant

and a time to pull up plants.

³There is a time to kill

and a time to heal.

There is a time to destroy

and a time to build.

⁴There is a time to cry

and a time to laugh.

There is a time to be sad

and a time to dance.

⁵There is a time to throw away stones

and a time to gather them.

There is a time to hug

and a time not to hug.

⁶There is a time to look for something

and a time to stop looking for it.

There is a time to keep things

and a time to throw things away.

⁷There is a time to tear apart

and a time to sew together.

There is a time to be silent

and a time to speak.

⁸There is a time to love

and a time to hate.

There is a time for war

and a time for peace.

God Controls His World

⁹Do people really gain anything from their work? ¹⁰I saw the hard work God has given people to do. ¹¹God has given them a desire to know the future. He does everything just right and on time, but people can never completely understand what he is doing. ¹²So I realize that the best thing for them is to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live. ¹³God wants all people to eat and drink and be happy in their work, which are gifts from God.