Ecclesiastes 3:1–13

Everything Has Its Time

3To everything there is a season,

A ^atime for every purpose under heaven:

²A time ¹to be born,

And ^ba time to die;

A time to plant,

And a time to pluck what 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 ^cweep,

And a time to laugh;

A time to mourn,

And a time to dance;

⁵A time to cast away stones,

And a time to gather stones;

^dA time to embrace,

And a time to refrain from embracing;

⁶A time to gain,

And a time to lose;

A time to keep,

And a time to throw away;

⁷A time to tear,

And a time to sew;

^eA time to keep silence,

And a time to ^fspeak;

⁸A time to love,

And a time to ^ghate;

A time of war,

And a time of peace.

The God-Given Task

^9hWhat profit has the worker from that in which he labors? ¹⁰ⁱI have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. ¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that ^jno one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.

¹²I know that nothing is ^kbetter for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, ¹³and also that ^levery man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God.