A Time for Everything

1 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?

14 About the middle of the feast Jesus went up into the temple ^xand began teaching. 15 The Jews therefore ^ymarveled, saying, “How is it that this man has learning,^{1 z}when he has never studied?” 16 So Jesus answered them, ^a“My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. 17 If anyone’s will is to do God’s² will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. 18 The one who speaks on his own authority ^bseeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood. 19 Has not ^cMoses given you the law? ^dYet none of you keeps the law. Why do you seek to kill me?” 20 The crowd answered, “You ^ehave a demon! Who is seeking to kill you?” 21 Jesus answered them, “I did ^fone work, and you all marvel at it. 22 ^gMoses gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but ^hfrom the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the ⁱSabbath. 23 ^jIf on the Sabbath a man receives circumcision, so that the law of Moses may not be broken, are you angry with me ^kbecause on the Sabbath I made a man’s whole body well? 24 Do not judge ^lby ^mappearances, but ⁿjudge with right judgment.”

Can This Be the Christ?

25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking ^oopenly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that ^pthe authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 But ^qwe know where this man comes from, and ^rwhen the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from. But ^sI have not come of my own accord. He who sent me is ^ttrue, and ^uhim you do not know. 29 ^vI know him, for I come ^wfrom him, and he sent me.” 30 So they were seeking to ^xarrest him, but no one laid a hand on him, because his hour had not yet come. 31 Yet ^ymany of the people believed in him. They said, “When the Christ appears, will he do more ^zsigns than this man has done?”