לַכֹּ֖ל זְמָ֑ן וְעֵ֥ת לְכׇל־חֵ֖פֶץ תַּ֥חַת הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ {ס} A season is set for everything, a time for every experience under heaven:aI.e., all human experiences are preordained by God; see v. 11.
עֵ֥ת לָלֶ֖דֶת {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לָמ֑וּת {ס} עֵ֣ת לָטַ֔עַת {ס} וְעֵ֖ת לַעֲק֥וֹר נָטֽוּעַ׃ {ס} A time for bLit. “giving birth.”being born-b and a time for dying,
A time for planting and a time for uprooting the planted;
עֵ֤ת לַהֲרוֹג֙ {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לִרְפּ֔וֹא {ס} עֵ֥ת לִפְר֖וֹץ {ס} וְעֵ֥ת לִבְנֽוֹת׃ {ס} A time for cEmendation yields “wrecking…repairing”; cf. 1 Kings 18.30.slaying and a time for healing,-c
A time for tearing down and a time for building up;
עֵ֤ת לִבְכּוֹת֙ {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂח֔וֹק {ס} עֵ֥ת סְפ֖וֹד {ס} וְעֵ֥ת רְקֽוֹד׃ {ס} A time for weeping and a time for laughing,
A time for wailing and a time for dancing;
עֵ֚ת לְהַשְׁלִ֣יךְ אֲבָנִ֔ים {ס} וְעֵ֖ת כְּנ֣וֹס אֲבָנִ֑ים {ס} עֵ֣ת לַחֲב֔וֹק {ס} וְעֵ֖ת לִרְחֹ֥ק מֵחַבֵּֽק׃ {ס} A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones,
A time for embracing and a time for shunning embraces;
עֵ֤ת לְבַקֵּשׁ֙ {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לְאַבֵּ֔ד {ס} עֵ֥ת לִשְׁמ֖וֹר {ס} וְעֵ֥ת לְהַשְׁלִֽיךְ׃ {ס} A time for seeking and a time for losing,
A time for keeping and a time for discarding;
עֵ֤ת לִקְר֙וֹעַ֙ {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לִתְפּ֔וֹר {ס} עֵ֥ת לַחֲשׁ֖וֹת {ס} וְעֵ֥ת לְדַבֵּֽר׃ {ס} A time for ripping and a time for sewing,
A time for silence and a time for speaking;
עֵ֤ת לֶֽאֱהֹב֙ {ס} וְעֵ֣ת לִשְׂנֹ֔א {ס} עֵ֥ת מִלְחָמָ֖ה {ס} וְעֵ֥ת שָׁלֽוֹם׃ {ס} A time for loving and a time for hating;
A time for war and a time for peace.
מַה־יִּתְרוֹן֙ הָֽעוֹשֶׂ֔ה בַּאֲשֶׁ֖ר ה֥וּא עָמֵֽל׃ What value, then, can the man of affairs get from what he earns?
רָאִ֣יתִי אֶת־הָֽעִנְיָ֗ן אֲשֶׁ֨ר נָתַ֧ן אֱלֹהִ֛ים לִבְנֵ֥י הָאָדָ֖ם לַעֲנ֥וֹת בּֽוֹ׃ I have observed the business that God gave man to be concerned with:
אֶת־הַכֹּ֥ל עָשָׂ֖ה יָפֶ֣ה בְעִתּ֑וֹ גַּ֤ם אֶת־הָעֹלָם֙ נָתַ֣ן בְּלִבָּ֔ם מִבְּלִ֞י אֲשֶׁ֧ר לֹא־יִמְצָ֣א הָאָדָ֗ם אֶת־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֛ה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֥ה הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים מֵרֹ֥אשׁ וְעַד־סֽוֹף׃ He brings everything to pass precisely at its time; He also puts eternity in their mind,dI.e., He preoccupies man with the attempt to discover the times of future events; cf. 8.17. but without man ever guessing, from first to last, all the things that God brings to pass.
יָדַ֕עְתִּי כִּ֛י אֵ֥ין ט֖וֹב בָּ֑ם כִּ֣י אִם־לִשְׂמ֔וֹחַ וְלַעֲשׂ֥וֹת ט֖וֹב בְּחַיָּֽיו׃ Thus I realized that the only worthwhile thing there is for them is to enjoy themselves and do what is goodeI.e., what the author has already concluded (2.24) is good. in their lifetime;
וְגַ֤ם כׇּל־הָאָדָם֙ שֶׁיֹּאכַ֣ל וְשָׁתָ֔ה וְרָאָ֥ה ט֖וֹב בְּכׇל־עֲמָל֑וֹ מַתַּ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים הִֽיא׃ also, that whenever a man does eat and drink and get enjoyment out of all his wealth, it is a gift of God.
יָדַ֗עְתִּי כִּ֠י כׇּל־אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֤ה הָאֱלֹהִים֙ ה֚וּא יִהְיֶ֣ה לְעוֹלָ֔ם עָלָיו֙ אֵ֣ין לְהוֹסִ֔יף וּמִמֶּ֖נּוּ אֵ֣ין לִגְרֹ֑עַ וְהָאֱלֹהִ֣ים עָשָׂ֔ה שֶׁיִּֽרְא֖וּ מִלְּפָנָֽיו׃ I realized, too, that whatever God has brought to pass will recur evermore:
Nothing can be added to it
And nothing taken from it—
and God has brought to pass that men revere Him.
מַה־שֶּֽׁהָיָה֙ כְּבָ֣ר ה֔וּא וַאֲשֶׁ֥ר לִהְי֖וֹת כְּבָ֣ר הָיָ֑ה וְהָאֱלֹהִ֖ים יְבַקֵּ֥שׁ אֶת־נִרְדָּֽף׃ fMeaning of parts of verse uncertain.What is occurring occurred long since,
And what is to occur occurred long since:
and God seeks the pursued.
וְע֥וֹד רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ מְק֤וֹם הַמִּשְׁפָּט֙ שָׁ֣מָּה הָרֶ֔שַׁע וּמְק֥וֹם הַצֶּ֖דֶק שָׁ֥מָּה הָרָֽשַׁע׃ And, indeed, I have observed under the sun:
Alongside justice there is wickedness,
Alongside righteousness there is wickedness.
אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י אֶת־הַצַּדִּיק֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣רָשָׁ֔ע יִשְׁפֹּ֖ט הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים כִּי־עֵ֣ת לְכׇל־חֵ֔פֶץ וְעַ֥ל כׇּל־הַֽמַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה שָֽׁם׃ I mused: “God will doom both righteous and wicked, for gShift of a diacritical point yields “He has set.”there is-g a time for every experience and for every happening.”
אָמַ֤רְתִּֽי אֲנִי֙ בְּלִבִּ֔י עַל־דִּבְרַת֙ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֔ם לְבָרָ֖ם הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְלִרְא֕וֹת שְׁהֶם־בְּהֵמָ֥ה הֵ֖מָּה לָהֶֽם׃ fMeaning of parts of verse uncertain.So I decided, as regards men, to dissociate them [from] the divine beings and to face the fact that they are beasts.hContrast Ps. 8.5–6.
כִּי֩ מִקְרֶ֨ה בְֽנֵי־הָאָדָ֜ם וּמִקְרֶ֣ה הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּמִקְרֶ֤ה אֶחָד֙ לָהֶ֔ם כְּמ֥וֹת זֶה֙ כֵּ֣ן מ֣וֹת זֶ֔ה וְר֥וּחַ אֶחָ֖ד לַכֹּ֑ל וּמוֹתַ֨ר הָאָדָ֤ם מִן־הַבְּהֵמָה֙ אָ֔יִן כִּ֥י הַכֹּ֖ל הָֽבֶל׃ For in respect of the fate of man and the fate of beast, they have one and the same fate: as the one dies so dies the other, and both have the same lifebreath; man has no superiority over beast, since both amount to nothing.
הַכֹּ֥ל הוֹלֵ֖ךְ אֶל־מָק֣וֹם אֶחָ֑ד הַכֹּל֙ הָיָ֣ה מִן־הֶֽעָפָ֔ר וְהַכֹּ֖ל שָׁ֥ב אֶל־הֶעָפָֽר׃ Both go to the same place; both came from dust and both return to dust.
מִ֣י יוֹדֵ֗עַ ר֚וּחַ בְּנֵ֣י הָאָדָ֔ם הָעֹלָ֥ה הִ֖יא לְמָ֑עְלָה וְר֙וּחַ֙ הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה הַיֹּרֶ֥דֶת הִ֖יא לְמַ֥טָּה לָאָֽרֶץ׃ Who knows if a man’s lifebreath does rise upward and if a beast’s breath does sink down into the earth?
וְרָאִ֗יתִי כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין טוֹב֙ מֵאֲשֶׁ֨ר יִשְׂמַ֤ח הָאָדָם֙ בְּֽמַעֲשָׂ֔יו כִּי־ה֖וּא חֶלְק֑וֹ כִּ֣י מִ֤י יְבִיאֶ֙נּוּ֙ לִרְא֔וֹת בְּמֶ֖ה שֶׁיִּהְיֶ֥ה אַחֲרָֽיו׃ I saw that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his possessions, since that is his portion. For who can enable him to see what will happen afterward?