Ecclesiastes 3:1
A Time for All Events in Life For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth:
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Referenced Verses
- Eccl 3:17 : 17 I thought to myself,“God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed.
- Eccl 8:5-6 : 5 Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure. 6 For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression of the king is severe upon his victim.
- 2 Kgs 5:26 : 26 Elisha replied,“I was there in spirit when a man turned and got down from his chariot to meet you. This is not the proper time to accept silver or to accept clothes, olive groves, vineyards, sheep, cattle, and male and female servants.
- Eccl 2:3 : 3 I thought deeply about the effects of indulging myself with wine(all the while my mind was guiding me with wisdom) and the effects of behaving foolishly, so that I might discover what is profitable for people to do on earth during the few days of their lives.
- 2 Chr 33:12 : 12 In his pain Manasseh asked the LORD his God for mercy and truly humbled himself before the God of his ancestors.
- Prov 15:23 : 23 A person has joy in giving an appropriate answer, and a word at the right time– how good it is!
- Matt 16:3 : 3 and in the morning,‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times.
Similar Verses (AI)
These verses are found using AI-powered semantic similarity based on meaning and context. Results may occasionally include unexpected connections.
- Eccl 3:2-2019 verses88%
2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to uproot what was planted;
3A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.
5A time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6A time to search, and a time to give something up as lost; a time to keep, and a time to throw away;
7A time to rip, and a time to sew; a time to keep silent, and a time to speak.
8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.
9Man is Ignorant of God’s Timing What benefit can a worker gain from his toil?
10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied.
11God has made everything fit beautifully in its appropriate time, but he has also placed ignorance in the human heart so that people cannot discover what God has ordained, from the beginning to the end of their lives.
12Enjoy Life in the Present I have concluded that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to enjoy themselves as long as they live,
13and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God.
14God’s Sovereignty I also know that whatever God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it, and nothing taken away from it. God has made it this way, so that men will fear him.
15Whatever exists now has already been, and whatever will be has already been; for God will seek to do again what has occurred in the past.
16The Problem of Injustice and Oppression I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness.
17I thought to myself,“God will judge both the righteous and the wicked; for there is an appropriate time for every activity, and there is a time of judgment for every deed.
18I also thought to myself,“It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals.
19For the fate of humans and the fate of animals are the same: As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath. There is no advantage for humans over animals, for both are fleeting.
20Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return.
- Eccl 8:5-62 verses78%
5Whoever obeys his command will not experience harm, and a wise person knows the proper time and procedure.
6For there is a proper time and procedure for every matter, for the oppression of the king is severe upon his victim.
- Eccl 1:9-102 verses75%
9What exists now is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done; there is nothing truly new on earth.
10Is there anything about which someone can say,“Look at this! It is new!”? It was already done long ago, before our time.
- Eccl 1:1-55 verses75%
1¶ Title The words of the Teacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem:
2Introduction: Utter Futility“Futile! Futile!” laments the Teacher,“Absolutely futile! Everything is futile!”
3Futility Illustrated from Nature What benefit do people get from all the effort which they expend on earth?
4A generation comes and a generation goes, but the earth remains the same through the ages.
5The sun rises and the sun sets; it hurries away to a place from which it rises again.
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9While applying my mind to everything that happens in this world, I have seen all this: Sometimes one person dominates other people to their harm.
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22So I perceived there is nothing better than for people to enjoy their work, because that is their reward; for who can show them what the future holds?
- Eccl 9:1-33 verses73%
1Everyone Will Die So I reflected on all this, attempting to clear it all up. I concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their works, are in the hand of God; whether a person will be loved or hated– no one knows what lies ahead.
2Everyone shares the same fate– the righteous and the wicked, the good and the bad, the ceremonially clean and unclean, those who offer sacrifices and those who do not. What happens to the good person, also happens to the sinner; what happens to those who make vows, also happens to those who are afraid to make vows.
3This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives– then they die.
- Eccl 1:13-142 verses72%
13I decided to carefully and thoroughly examine all that has been accomplished on earth. I concluded: God has given people a burdensome task that keeps them occupied.
14I reflected on everything that is accomplished by man on earth, and I concluded: Everything he has accomplished is futile– like chasing the wind!
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14In times of prosperity be joyful, but in times of adversity consider this: God has made one as well as the other, so that no one can discover what the future holds.
- Eccl 9:10-112 verses71%
10Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, because there is neither work nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, the place where you will eventually go.
11Wisdom Cannot Protect against Seemingly Chance Events Again, I observed this on the earth: the race is not always won by the swiftest, the battle is not always won by the strongest; prosperity does not always belong to those who are the wisest, wealth does not always belong to those who are the most discerning, nor does success always come to those with the most knowledge– for time and chance may overcome them all.
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8Concluding Refrain: Qoheleth Restates His Thesis“Absolutely futile!” laments the Teacher,“All of these things are futile!”
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14Here is another enigma that occurs on earth: Sometimes there are righteous people who get what the wicked deserve, and sometimes there are wicked people who get what the righteous deserve. I said,“This also is an enigma.”
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12For no one knows what is best for a person during his life– during the few days of his fleeting life– for they pass away like a shadow. Nor can anyone tell him what the future will hold for him on earth.
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1Not Everyone Enjoys Life Here is another misfortune that I have seen on earth, and it weighs heavily on people:
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1The Brevity of Life“Does not humanity have hard service on earth? Are not their days also like the days of a hired man?
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13Most People Are Not Receptive to Wise Counsel This is what I also observed about wisdom on earth, and it is a great burden to me:
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9Enjoy Life to the Fullest under the Fear of God Rejoice, young man, while you are young, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Follow the impulses of your heart and the desires of your eyes, but know that God will judge your motives and actions.
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11Yet when I reflected on everything I had accomplished and on all the effort that I had expended to accomplish it, I concluded:“All these achievements and possessions are ultimately profitless– like chasing the wind! There is nothing gained from them on earth.”
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3But better than both is the one who has not been born and has not seen the evil things that are done on earth.
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24Enjoy Work and its Benefits There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God.
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18Enjoy the Fruit of Your Labor I have seen personally what is the only beneficial and appropriate course of action for people: to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all their hard work on earth during the few days of their life which God has given them, for this is their reward.
- 69%
1Futility of Self-Indulgent Pleasure I thought to myself,“Come now, I will try self-indulgent pleasure to see if it is worthwhile.” But I found that it also is futile.