Parallel Bible results for "ecclesiastes 3"

Ecclesiastes 3

Revised Standard Version RSV

1 For everything there is a season, and a 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 rend, 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.

9 What gain has the worker from his toil?

10 I have seen the business that God has given to the sons of men to be busy with.

11 He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man's mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to be happy and enjoy themselves as long as they live;

13 also that it is God's gift to man that every one should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil.

14 I know that whatever God does endures for ever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; God has made it so, in order that men should fear before him.

15 That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.

16 Moreover 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.

17 I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for he has appointed a time for every matter, and for every work.

18 I said in my heart with regard to the sons of men that God is testing them to show them that they are but beasts.

19 For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of 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.

20 All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again.

21 Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down to the earth?

22 So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should enjoy his work, for that is his lot; who can bring him to see what will be after him?

GOD'S WORD Translation GW

1 Everything has its own time, and there is a specific time for every activity under heaven:

2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to pull out what was planted,

3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build up,

4 a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to hug and a time to stop hugging,

6 a time to start looking and a time to stop looking, a time to keep and a time to throw away,

7 a time to tear apart and a time to sew together, a time to keep quiet and a time to speak out,

8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.

9 What do working people gain from their hard labor?

10 I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that God has placed on them.

11 It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people's minds. Yet, mortals still can't grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end [of time].

12 I realize that there's nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives.

13 It is a gift from God to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work.

14 I realize that whatever God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. God does this so that people will fear him.

15 Whatever has happened [in the past] is present now. Whatever is going to happen [in the future] has already happened [in the past]. God will call the past to account.

16 I saw something else under the sun: There is wickedness where justice should be found. There is wickedness where righteousness should be found.

17 I thought to myself, "God will judge righteous people as well as wicked people, because there is a specific time for every activity and every work that is done."

18 I thought to myself, "God is going to test humans in order to show them that they are [like] animals."

19 Humans and animals have the same destiny. One dies just like the other. All of them have the same breath [of life]. Humans have no advantage over animals. All [of life] is pointless.

20 All [life] goes to the same place. All [life] comes from the ground, and all of it goes back to the ground.

21 Who knows whether a human spirit goes upward or whether an animal spirit goes downward to the earth?

22 I saw that there's nothing better for people to do than to enjoy their work because that is their lot [in life]. Who will allow them to see what will happen after them?