Ecclesiastes 3–5

There Is a Time for Everything

3There is a time for everything.

There’s a time for everything that is done on earth.

²There is a time to be born.

And there’s a time to die.

There is a time to plant.

And there’s a time to pull up what is planted.

³There is a time to kill.

And there’s a time to heal.

There is a time to tear down.

And there’s a time to build up.

⁴There is a time to cry.

And there’s a time to laugh.

There is a time to be sad.

And there’s a time to dance.

⁵There is a time to scatter stones.

And there’s a time to gather them.

There is a time to hug.

And there’s a time not to hug.

⁶There is a time to search.

And there’s a time to stop searching.

There is a time to keep.

And there’s a time to throw away.

⁷There is a time to tear.

And there’s a time to mend.

There is a time to be silent.

And there’s a time to speak.

⁸There is a time to love.

And there’s a time to hate.

There is a time for war.

And there’s a time for peace.

⁹What does the worker get for his hard work? ¹⁰I’ve seen the heavy load God has put on men. ¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also given men a sense of what he’s been doing down through the ages. But they can’t completely figure out what he’s done from the beginning to the end.

¹²They should be happy and do good while they live. I know there’s nothing better for them to do than that. ¹³Everyone should eat and drink. People should be satisfied with all of their hard work. That is God’s gift to them.

¹⁴I know that everything God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it. And nothing can be taken from it. God does that so men will have respect for him.

¹⁵Everything that now exists has already been.

And what is coming has existed before.

God will judge those who treat others badly.

¹⁶Here’s something else I saw on earth.

Where people should be treated right,

they are treated wrong.

Where people should be treated fairly,

they are treated unfairly.

¹⁷I said to myself,

“God will judge

godly and sinful people alike.

He has a time for every act.

He has a time for everything that is done.”

¹⁸I also thought, “God puts human beings to the test. Then they can see they are just like animals. ¹⁹What happens to animals happens to people too. Death waits for people and animals alike. People die, just as animals do. All of them have the same breath. People don’t have any advantage over animals. Nothing has any meaning.

²⁰“People and animals go to the same place. All of them come from dust. And all of them return to dust. ²¹Who can know whether the spirit of a man goes up? Who can tell whether the spirit of an animal goes down into the earth?”

²²So man should enjoy his work. That’s what God made him for. I saw that there’s nothing better for him to do than that. After all, who can show him what will happen after he is gone?

Suffering, Hard Work and Friendship

4I looked and saw how much people were suffering on this earth.

I saw the tears of those who are suffering.

They don’t have anyone to comfort them.

Power is on the side of those who beat them down.

Those who are suffering don’t have anyone to comfort them.

²Then I announced that those

who have already died

are happier than those

who are still alive.

³But someone who hasn’t been born yet

is better off than the dead or the living.

That’s because he hasn’t seen the evil things

that are done on earth.

⁴I also saw that man works hard and accomplishes a lot. But he does it only because he wants what his neighbor has. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

⁵A foolish person folds his hands and doesn’t work.

And that destroys him.

⁶One handful with peace and quiet

is better than two handfuls with hard work.

Working too hard is like chasing the wind.

⁷Again I saw something on earth that didn’t mean anything.

⁸A man lived all by himself.

He didn’t have any sons or brothers.

His hard work never ended.

But he wasn’t happy with what he had.

“Who am I working so hard for?” he asked.

“Why don’t I get the things I enjoy?”

That doesn’t have any meaning either.

In fact, it’s a very bad deal!

⁹Two people are better than one.

They can help each other in everything they do.

¹⁰Suppose someone falls down.

Then his friend can help him up.

But suppose the man who falls down doesn’t have anyone to help him up.

Then feel sorry for him!

¹¹Or suppose two people lie down together.

Then they’ll keep warm.

But how can one person keep warm alone?

¹²One person could be overpowered.

But two people can stand up for themselves.

And a rope made out of three cords isn’t easily broken.

Getting Ahead Doesn’t Have Any Meaning

¹³A poor but wise young man is better off than an old but foolish king. That king doesn’t pay attention to a warning anymore. ¹⁴The young man might have come from prison to become king. Or he might have been born poor within the kingdom but still became king. ¹⁵I saw that everyone was following the young man who had become the new king.

¹⁶At first, all of the people served him when he became king. But those who came later weren’t pleased with the way he was ruling. That doesn’t have any meaning either. It’s like chasing the wind.

Have Respect for God

5Be careful what you say when you go to God’s house. Go there to listen. Don’t be like foolish people when you offer your sacrifice. They do what is wrong and don’t even know it.

²Don’t be too quick to speak.

Don’t be in a hurry to say anything to God.

He is in heaven. You are on earth.

So use only a few words when you speak.

³Dreams come to people when they worry a lot.

When foolish people talk, they use too many words.

⁴When you make a promise to God, don’t wait too long to carry it out. He isn’t pleased with foolish people. So do what you have promised. ⁵It is better to make no promise at all than to make a promise and not keep it.

⁶Don’t let your mouth cause you to sin. Don’t object to the temple messenger. Don’t say, “My promise was a mistake.” Why should God be angry with what you say? Why should he destroy what you have done? ⁷Dreaming too much and talking too much are meaningless. So have respect for God.

Riches Don’t Have Any Meaning

⁸Suppose you see poor people being mistreated somewhere. And what is being done to them isn’t right or fair. Don’t be surprised by that. One official is watched by a higher one. Others who are even higher are watching both of them. ⁹All of them take what the land produces. And the king himself takes his share from the fields.

¹⁰Anyone who loves money never has enough.

Anyone who loves wealth is never satisfied with what he gets.

That doesn’t have any meaning either.

¹¹As more and more goods are made,

more and more people use them up.

So how can those goods benefit their owner?

All he can do is look at them with longing.

¹²The sleep of a worker is sweet.

It doesn’t matter whether he eats a little or a lot.

But the wealth of a rich man

keeps him awake at night.

¹³I’ve seen something very evil on earth.

It’s when wealth is stored up

and then brings harm to its owner.

¹⁴It’s also when wealth is lost

because of an unwise business deal.

Then there won’t be anything left

for the owner’s son.

¹⁵A man is born naked.

He comes into the world with nothing.

And he goes out of it with nothing.

He doesn’t get anything from his work

that he can take with him.

¹⁶Here’s something else that is very evil.

A man is born, and a man dies.

And what does he get for his work?

Nothing. It’s like working for the wind.

¹⁷All his life he eats in darkness.

His life is full of trouble, suffering and anger.

¹⁸I realized that it’s good and proper for a man to eat and drink. It’s good for him to be satisfied with his hard work on this earth. That’s what he should do during the few days of life God has given him. That’s what God made him for.

¹⁹Sometimes God gives a man wealth and possessions. He makes it possible for him to enjoy them. He helps him accept the life he has given him. He helps him to be happy in his work. All of those things are gifts from God. ²⁰A man like that doesn’t have to think about how his life is going. That’s because God fills his heart with joy.