Ecclesiastes 3
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To Everything There is a Season

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1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:1There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven--1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:1There is an occasion for everything, and a time for every activity under heaven:
2a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;2A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;2a time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot;
3a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;3A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up.3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;3a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build;
4a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;4A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;4a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;
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5a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;5A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing.5A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;5a time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace and a time to avoid embracing;
6a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;6A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away.6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;6a time to search and a time to count as lost; a time to keep and a time to throw away;
7a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,7a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;7A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak.7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;7a time to tear and a time to sew; a time to be silent and a time to speak;
8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.8A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.8a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace.

The Excellence in God's Works

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9What do workers gain from their toil?9What gain has the worker from his toil?9What profit is there to the worker from that in which he toils?9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?9What does the worker gain from his struggles?
10I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.10I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with.10I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves.10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.10I have seen the task that God has given people to keep them occupied.
11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.11He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.11He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also put eternity in their hearts, but man cannot discover the work God has done from beginning to end.
12I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.12I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live;12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one's lifetime;12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy the good life.
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13That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil--this is the gift of God.13also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man.13moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor-- it is the gift of God.13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.13It is also the gift of God whenever anyone eats, drinks, and enjoys all his efforts.
14I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.14I 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 fear before him.14I know that everything God does will remain forever; there is nothing to add to it and there is nothing to take from it, for God has so worked that men should fear Him.14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.14I know that all God does will last forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. God works so that people will be in awe of Him.
15Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.15That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.15That which is has been already and that which will be has already been, for God seeks what has passed by.15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.15Whatever is, has already been, and whatever will be, already is. God repeats what has passed.

From Dust to Dust

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16And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment--wickedness was there, in the place of justice--wickedness was there.16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.16I also observed under the sun: there is wickedness at the place of judgment and there is wickedness at the place of righteousness.
17I said to myself, "God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed."17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.17I said to myself, "God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man," for a time for every matter and for every deed is there.17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.17I said to myself, "God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every work."
18I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.18I 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 beasts.18I said to myself concerning the sons of men, "God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but beasts."18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.18I said to myself, "This happens concerning people, so that God may test them and they may see for themselves that they are like animals."
19Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.19For 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.19For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.19For the fate of people and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; they all have the same breath. People have no advantage over animals since everything is futile.
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20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.20All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return.20All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust.20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.20All are going to the same place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.
21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?"21Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?21Who knows that the breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?21Who knows if the spirit of people rises upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth?
22So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?22So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him?22I have seen that nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see what will occur after him?22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?22I have seen that there is nothing better than for a person to enjoy his activities because that is his reward. For who can enable him to see what will happen after he dies?



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