¹There is an appointed time for everything,
and a time for every affair under the heavens.
² A time to give birth, and a time to die;
a time to plant, and a time to uproot the plant.
³ A time to kill, 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 be far from embraces.
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 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 profit have workers from their toil? ¹⁰ I have seen the business that God has given to mortals to be busied about. ¹¹ God has made everything appropriate to its time, but has put the timeless[b] into their hearts so they cannot find out, from beginning to end, the work which God has done. ¹² I recognized that there is nothing better than to rejoice and to do well during life. ¹³ Moreover, that all can eat and drink and enjoy the good of all their toil—this is a gift of God. ¹⁴ I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it, or taking from it. Thus has God done that he may be revered. ¹⁵ [c]What now is has already been; what is to be, already is: God retrieves what has gone by.

The Problem of Retribution. ¹⁶ And still under the sun in the judgment place I saw wickedness, and wickedness also in the seat of justice. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, both the just and the wicked God will judge, since a time is set for every affair and for every work.[d] ¹⁸ I said in my heart: As for human beings, it is God’s way of testing them and of showing that they are in themselves like beasts. ¹⁹ For the lot of mortals and the lot of beasts is the same lot: The one dies as well as the other. Both have the same life breath. Human beings have no advantage over beasts, but all is vanity. ²⁰ Both go to the same place; both were made from the dust, and to the dust they both return. ²¹ Who knows[e] if the life breath of mortals goes upward and the life breath of beasts goes earthward? ²² And I saw that there is nothing better for mortals than to rejoice in their work; for this is their lot. Who will let them see what is to come after them? —Ecclesiastes 3

Introduction

I. The Blending of Time (1-8)

Time to give brith time to die
Time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted
Time to kill and a time to heal
Time to tear down and a time to build up
Time to weep and a time to laugh
Time to mounr and a time to dance
Time to throw stones and a time to gather stones
Time to embrace and a time to shun embracing
Time to search and a time to give up as lost
Time to keep and a time to throw away
Time to tear apart and a time to sew together
Time to be silent and a time to speak
Time to love and a time to hate
Time for war and a time for peace

II. The Spending of Time (9-15)

III. The Ending of Time (16-22)

Conclusion

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