A Time for Everything

3 For everything there is a season, and ^ua time for every matter under heaven:

The God-Given Task

9 What ^vgain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen the ^wbusiness that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that ^xhe cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that ^ythere is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to ^zdo good as long as they live; 13 also that everyone should ^aeat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—^bthis is God’s gift to man.

14 I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people ^cfear before him. 15 ^dThat which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.¹

From Dust to Dust

16 Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of ^ejustice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. 17 I said in my heart, ^fGod will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. 18 I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but ^gbeasts. 19 For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.² 20 ^hAll go to one place. All are ⁱfrom the dust, and ^jto dust all return. 21 Who knows whether the spirit of man ^kgoes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? 22 So I saw that ^lthere is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his ^mlot. ⁿWho can bring him to see what will be after him?

Evil Under the Sun

4 ^oAgain I saw all the ^poppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. 2 And I thought the dead who are already dead ^qmore fortunate than the living who are still alive. 3 ^rBut better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.

4 Then I saw that all toil and all skill in work come from a man’s envy of his neighbor. This also is vanity¹ and a ^sstriving after wind.

5 The fool ^tfolds his hands and eats his own flesh.

6 ^uBetter is a handful of quietness than two hands full of toil and a striving after wind.

7 Again, I saw vanity under the sun: 8 one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his ^veyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an ^wunhappy business.

9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

13 Better was a ^xpoor and wise youth than an old and foolish king who no longer knew how to take advice. 14 For he went from prison to the throne, though in his own kingdom he had been born poor. 15 I saw all the living who move about under the sun, along with that² youth who was to stand in the king’s³ place. 16 There was no end of all the people, all of whom he led. Yet those who come later will not rejoice in him. Surely this also is vanity and a striving after wind.

Fear God

5 Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. ^yTo draw near to ^zlisten is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil. 2 ¹ Be not rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven and you are on earth. Therefore ^alet your words be few. 3 For a dream comes with much business, and a fool’s voice with many words.

4 ^bWhen you vow a vow to God, do not delay paying it, for he has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you vow. 5 It is better that you should not vow than that you should vow and not pay. 6 Let not your mouth lead you² into sin, and do not say before the messenger³ that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry at your voice and destroy the work of your hands? 7 For when dreams increase and ^cwords grow many, ^dthere is vanity;⁴ but^{5 e}God is the one you must fear.

The Vanity of Wealth and Honor

8 If you see in a province the ^foppression of the poor and the violation of ^gjustice and righteousness, do not be amazed at the matter, for the high official is watched by a higher, and there are yet higher ones over them. 9 But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields.⁶

10 He who loves money ^hwill not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. 11 When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes? 12 Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

13 ⁱThere is a grievous evil that I have seen under the sun: riches were kept by their owner to his hurt, 14 and those riches were lost in a bad venture. And he is father of a son, but he has nothing in his hand. 15 ^jAs he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and ^kshall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. 16 This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what ^lgain is there to him who toils for the wind? 17 Moreover, all his days he eats in darkness in much vexation and sickness and anger.

18 Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to ^meat and drink and find enjoyment⁷ in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the ⁿfew days of his life that God has given him, for this is his ^olot. 19 Everyone also to whom God has given ^pwealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—^qthis is the gift of God. 20 For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

6 ^rThere is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and it lies heavy on mankind: 2 a man to whom God gives ^swealth, possessions, and honor, so that he lacks nothing of all that he desires, yet God does not give him power to enjoy them, ^tbut a stranger enjoys them. This is vanity;¹ it is a grievous evil. 3 If a man fathers a hundred children and lives many years, so that the days of his years are many, but his soul is ^unot satisfied with life’s good things, and he also has no burial, I say that a ^vstillborn child is ^wbetter off than he. 4 For it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness its name is covered. 5 Moreover, it has not ^xseen the sun or known anything, yet it finds rest rather than he. 6 Even though he should live a thousand years twice over, yet enjoy² no good—^ydo not all go to the one place?

7 ^zAll the toil of man is for his mouth, yet his appetite is not satisfied.³ 8 For ^awhat advantage has the wise man over the fool? And what does the poor man have who knows how to conduct himself before the living? 9 Better is the ^bsight of the eyes than the wandering of the appetite: this also is vanity and a ^cstriving after wind.

10 ^dWhatever has come to be has already been named, and it is known what man is, and that he is not able to dispute with one stronger than he. 11 ^eThe more words, the more vanity, and what is the advantage to man? 12 For who knows what is good for man while he lives the ^ffew days of his ^gvain⁴ life, which he passes ^hlike a shadow? For ⁱwho can tell man what will be after him under the sun?

The Contrast of Wisdom and Folly

14 In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that ^sman may not find out ^tanything that will be after him.

15 In my ^uvain³ life I have seen everything. There is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and ^vthere is a wicked man who ^wprolongs his life in his evildoing. 16 Be not overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself? 17 Be not overly wicked, neither be a fool. Why should you die ^xbefore your time? 18 It is good that you should take hold of this, and from that withhold not your hand, for the one who ^yfears God shall come out from both of them.

19 Wisdom gives strength to the wise man more than ten rulers who are in a city.

20 ^zSurely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins.

21 Do not take to heart all the things that people say, lest you hear your servant cursing you. 22 Your heart knows that many times you yourself have cursed others.

23 All this I have tested by ^awisdom. I said, “I will be wise,” but it was far from me. 24 That which has been is far off, and deep, very deep; who can find it out?

25 I turned my heart to know and to ^bsearch out and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know the wickedness of ^cfolly and the foolishness that is madness. 26 And I find something more ^dbitter than death: the woman whose heart is snares and nets, and whose hands are fetters. ^eHe who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is taken by her. 27 Behold, this is what I found, says the ^fPreacher, while adding one thing to another to find the scheme of things— 28 which my soul has sought repeatedly, but I have not found. One man among a thousand I found, but a woman among all these I have not found. 29 See, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought out many schemes.