24 rThere is nothing better for a person than that he should seat and drink and find enjoyment1 in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God, 25 for apart from him2 who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
A Time for Everything
1 For everything there is a season, and ua time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 a time to tear, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
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.
Enjoy Life with the One You Love
7 Go, veat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
8 Let your garments be always white. Let not oil be lacking on your head.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your wvain1 life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your xportion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 yWhatever your hand finds to do, zdo it with your might,2 for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
