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Ecclesiastes 3
Tree of Life Version
Ecclesiastes 3
Tree of Life Version
A Time For Everything
3 For everything there is a season
and a time for every activity under heaven:
2 a time to give birth and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot what is 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 weep 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 stones,
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 discard;
7 a time to tear apart and a time to mend,
a time to be silent 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, then, does the laborer get with his toil? 10 I have seen the task that God has given to the children of men to keep them occupied.
Yet Eternity In Their Heart
11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Moreover, He has set eternity in their heart—yet without the possibility that humankind can ever discover the work that God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and enjoy themselves in their lifetime. 13 Also when anyone eats and drinks, and finds satisfaction in all of his labor, it is the gift of God. 14 I know that everything that God does will endure forever. There is no adding to it or taking from it. God has made it so, that they will revere Him.
15 Whatever exists, has already been
and whatever will be, has already been,
but God recalls what has passed.
16 I have also seen under the sun:
In the place of justice there was wickedness,
and in the place of righteousness there was wickedness.
17 I said in my heart:
“The righteous and the wicked,
God will judge.
For there is a time for every activity
and for every deed.”
Humans Same As Beasts?
18 I also said in my heart, “As for the sons of man, God tests them so that they may see that they are but animals.” 19 For the destiny of humankind and the destiny of animals are one and the same. As one dies, so dies the other. Both have the same breath—a human has no advantage over an animal—both are fleeting. 20 Both go to one place. Both were taken from the dust, and both return to the dust. 21 Who knows that the spirit of the sons of man ascends upward and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?
22 So I perceived that nothing is better than for man to enjoy his works, because that is his portion. For who can bring him back to see what will be in the future?
Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version
Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version
A Time for Everything
3 There is a time(A) for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,(B)
3 a time to kill(C) and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep 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 embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent(D) 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 do workers gain from their toil?(E) 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.(F) 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time.(G) He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[a] no one can fathom(H) what God has done from beginning to end.(I) 12 I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. 13 That each of them may eat and drink,(J) and find satisfaction(K) in all their toil—this is the gift of God.(L) 14 I 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.(M)
15 Whatever is has already been,(N)
and what will be has been before;(O)
and God will call the past to account.[b]
16 And I saw something else under the sun:
In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.
17 I said to myself,
“God will bring into judgment(P)
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”(Q)
18 I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.(R) 19 Surely the fate of human beings(S) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[c]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. 20 All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.(T) 21 Who knows if the human spirit rises upward(U) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”
22 So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work,(V) because that is their lot.(W) For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
Footnotes
- Ecclesiastes 3:11 Or also placed ignorance in the human heart, so that
- Ecclesiastes 3:15 Or God calls back the past
- Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or spirit
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.