To Everything There Is a Season

¹To everything there is a season,and a time for every purpose under heaven:

²a time to be born 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 break down and a time to build,

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

⁵a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together,a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

⁶a time to search and a time to count as lost,a time to keep and a time to discard,

⁷a time to tear and a time to mend,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.

God’s Works Remain Forever

⁹What does the worker gain from his toil?

¹⁰I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them.

¹¹He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.

¹²I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live,

¹³and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God.

¹⁴I know that everything God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him.

¹⁵What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed.

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

¹⁷I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.”

¹⁸I said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.”

¹⁹For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath.Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile.

²⁰All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust.

²¹Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth?

²²I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him?

Obey the King

¹Who is like the wise man? Who knows the interpretation of a matter? A man’s wisdom brightens his face, and the sternness of his face is changed.

²Keep the king’s command, I say, because of your oath before God.

³Do not hasten to leave his presence, and do not persist in a bad cause, for he will do whatever he pleases.

⁴For the king’s word is supreme, and who can say to him, “What are you doing?”

⁵Whoever keeps his command will come to no harm, and a wise heart knows the right time and procedure.

⁶For there is a right time and procedure to every purpose, though a man’s misery weighs heavily upon him.

⁷Since no one knows what will happen, who can tell him what is to come?

⁸As no man has power over the wind to contain it, so no one has authority over his day of death. As no one can be discharged in wartime, so wickedness will not release those who practice it.

⁹All this I have seen, applying my mind to every deed that is done under the sun; there is a time when one man lords it over another to his own detriment.

Fear God

¹⁰Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praisedin the city where they had done so. This too is futile.

¹¹When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.

¹²Although a sinner does evil a hundred times and still lives long, yet I also know that it will go well with those who fear God, who are reverent in His presence.

¹³Yet because the wicked do not fear God, it will not go well with them, and their days will not lengthen like a shadow.

God’s Ways Are Mysterious

¹⁴There is a futility that is done on the earth: There are righteous men who get what the actions of the wicked deserve, and there are wicked men who get what the actions of the righteous deserve. I say that this too is futile.

¹⁵So I commended the enjoyment of life, because there is nothing better for a man under the sun than to eat and drink and be merry. For this joy will accompany him in his labor during the days of his life that God gives him under the sun.

¹⁶When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—

¹⁷I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.

The Value of Wisdom

¹A good name is better than fine perfume,and one’s day of death is better than his day of birth.

²It is better to enter a house of mourningthan a house of feasting,since death is the end of every man,and the living should take this to heart.

³Sorrow is better than laughter,for a sad countenance is good for the heart.

⁴The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning,but the heart of fools is in the house of pleasure.

⁵It is better to heed a wise man’s rebukethan to listen to the song of fools.

⁶For like the crackling of thorns under the pot,so is the laughter of the fool. This too is futile.

⁷Surely extortion turns a wise man into a fool,and a bribe corrupts the heart.

⁸The end of a matter is better than the beginning,and a patient spirit is better than a proud one.

⁹Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit,for anger settles in the lap of a fool.

¹⁰Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?”For it is unwise of you to ask about this.

¹¹Wisdom, like an inheritance, is good,and it benefits those who see the sun.

¹²For wisdom, like money, is a shelter,and the advantage of knowledgeis that wisdom preserves the life of its owner.

¹³Consider the work of God:Who can straighten what He has bent?

¹⁴In the day of prosperity, be joyful,but in the day of adversity, consider this:God has made one of these along with the other,so that a man cannot discoveranything that will come after him.

The Limits of Human Wisdom

¹⁵In my futile life I have seen both of these:A righteous man perishing in his righteousness,and a wicked man living long in his wickedness.

¹⁶Do not be overly righteous, and do not make yourself too wise. Why should you destroy yourself?

¹⁷Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?

¹⁸It is good to grasp the one and not let the other slip from your hand. For he who fears God will follow both warnings.

¹⁹Wisdom makes the wise manstronger than ten rulers in a city.

²⁰Surely there is no righteous man on earthwho does good and never sins.

²¹Do not pay attention to every word that is spoken, or you may hear your servant cursing you.

²²For you know in your heart that many times you yourself have cursed others.

²³All this I tested by wisdom, saying, “I resolve to be wise.” But it was beyond me.

²⁴What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?

²⁵I directed my mind to understand, to explore, to search out wisdom and explanations, and to understand the stupidity of wickedness and the folly of madness.

²⁶And I find more bitter than death the woman who is a snare, whose heart is a net, and whose hands are chains. The man who pleases God escapes her, but the sinner is ensnared.

²⁷“Behold,” says the Teacher, “I have discovered this by adding one thing to another to find an explanation.

²⁸While my soul was still searching but not finding, among a thousand I have found one upright man, but among all these I have not found one such woman.

²⁹Only this have I found: I have discovered that God made mankind upright, but they have sought out many schemes.”

The Wise Woman

¹Every wise woman builds her house,but a foolish one tears it down with her own hands.

²He who walks in uprightness fears the LORD,but the one who is devious in his ways despises Him.

³The proud speech of a fool brings a rod to his back,but the lips of the wise protect them.

⁴Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.

⁵An honest witness does not deceive,but a dishonest witness pours forth lies.

⁶A mocker seeks wisdom and finds none,but knowledge comes easily to the discerning.

⁷Stay away from a foolish man;you will gain no knowledge from his speech.

⁸The wisdom of the prudent is to discern his way,but the folly of fools deceives them.

⁹Fools mock the making of amends,but goodwill is found among the upright.

¹⁰The heart knows its own bitterness,and no stranger shares in its joy.

¹¹The house of the wicked will be destroyed,but the tent of the upright will flourish.

¹²There is a way that seems right to a man,but its end is the way of death.

¹³Even in laughter the heart may ache,and joy may end in sorrow.

¹⁴The backslider in heart receives the fill of his own ways,but a good man is rewarded for his ways.

¹⁵The simple man believes every word,but the prudent man watches his steps.

¹⁶A wise man fearsand turns from evil,but a fool is careless and reckless.

¹⁷A quick-tempered man acts foolishly,and a devious man is hated.

¹⁸The simple inherit folly,but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

¹⁹The evil bow before the good,and the wicked at the gates of the righteous.

²⁰The poor man is hated even by his neighbor,but many are those who love the rich.

²¹He who despises his neighbor sins,but blessed is he who shows kindness to the poor.

²²Do not those who contrive evil go astray?But those who plan goodness findloving devotion and faithfulness.

²³There is profit in all labor,but mere talk leads only to poverty.

²⁴The crown of the wise is their wealth,but the effort of fools is folly.

²⁵A truthful witness saves lives,but one who utters lies is deceitful.

²⁶He who fears the LORD is secure in confidence,and his children shall have a place of refuge.

²⁷The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life,turning a man from the snares of death.

²⁸A large population is a king’s splendor,but a lack of subjects is a prince’s ruin.

²⁹A patient man has great understanding,but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

³⁰A tranquil heart is life to the body,but envy rots the bones.

³¹Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker,but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.

³²The wicked man is thrown down by his own sin,but the righteous man has a refuge even in death.

³³Wisdom rests in the heart of the discerning;even among fools she is known.

³⁴Righteousness exalts a nation,but sin is a disgrace to any people.

³⁵A king delights in a wise servant,but his anger falls on the shameful.