A Time for Everything (3:1-8)

¹ To every thing there is a season,
and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

² A time to be born,
and a time to die;
a time to plant,
and a time to pluck up that which 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 get,
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 of war,
and a time of peace.

The Time to Rejoice is Now (3:9-22)

⁹ What profit hath he that worketh
in that wherein he laboureth?
¹⁰ I have seen [this] the travail,
which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
¹¹ He hath made [this] every thing beautiful in his time
also he hath set [this] the world in their heart,
so that no [none among] man can find out [this] the work that God maketh
from the beginning to the end.
¹² I know that there is no good in them,
but for a man to rejoice,
and to do good in his life.
¹³ And also that every man should eat and drink,
and enjoy the good of all his labour,
it is the gift of God.
¹⁴ I know that, whatsoever [all which] 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 [accordingly] fear before [the face of him].
¹⁵ That which hath been is now;
and that which is to be hath already been;
and God requireth [this] that which is past.
¹⁶ And moreover I saw under the sun
the place of judgment,
that wickedness was there;
and the place of righteousness,
that iniquity was there.
¹⁷ I said in mine heart,
God shall judge [this] the righteous and the wicked:
for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.
¹⁸ I 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.
¹⁹ For 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.
²⁰ All go unto one place;
all are of the dust,
and all turn to dust again.
²¹ Who knoweth the spirit of man
that goeth upward,
and the spirit of the beast
that goeth downward to the earth?
²² Wherefore 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 [that which] shall be after him?