Ecclesiastes3

Ecclesiastes 3 opens with a poetic declaration that there is a divinely appointed time for every activity and purpose under heaven, encompassing birth, death, joy, sorrow, war, and peace. The Preacher then reflects on God's eternal work, which humans cannot fully comprehend, and concludes that man's best course is to find joy and do good in his labor, as this is God's gift. He further observes the shared mortality of man and beast, both returning to dust, and reiterates the importance of embracing present enjoyment.

A Time for Everything

1
To everything--a season, and a time to every delight under the heavens:
2
A time to bring forth, And a time to die. A time to plant, And a time to eradicate the planted.
3
A time to slay, 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 skip.
5
A time to cast away stones, And a time to heap up stones. A time to embrace, And a time to be far from embracing.
6
A time to seek, And a time to destroy. A time to keep, And a time to cast away.
7
A time to rend, And a time to sew. A time to be silent, And a time to speak.
8
A time to love, And a time to hate. A time of war, And a time of peace.
9
What advantage hath the doer in that which he is labouring at?
10
I have seen the travail that God hath given to the sons of man to be humbled by it.

God's Eternal Plan and Human Joy

11
The whole He hath made beautiful in its season; also, that knowledge He hath put in their heart without which man findeth not out the work that God hath done from the beginning even unto the end.
12
I have known that there is no good for them except to rejoice and to do good during their life,
13
yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it is a gift of God.
14
I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him.
15
What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which is to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.

The Problem of Injustice and Mortality

16
And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment--there is the wicked; and the place of righteousness--there is the wicked.
17
I said in my heart, `The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time is to every matter and for every work there.'
18
I said in my heart concerning the matter of the sons of man that God might cleanse them, so as to see that they themselves are beasts.
19
For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.
20
The whole are going unto one place, the whole have been from the dust, and the whole are turning back unto the dust.
21
Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that is going up on high, and the spirit of the beast that is going down below to the earth?
22
And I have seen that there is nothing better than that man rejoice in his works, for it is his portion; for who doth bring him in to look on that which is after him?
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