God's Word Translation

Ecclesiastes 3:2-16 God's Word Translation (GW)

2. a time to be born anda time to die,a time to plant anda time to pull out what was planted,

3. a time to kill anda time to heal,a time to tear down anda time to build up,

4. a time to cry anda time to laugh,a time to mourn anda time to dance,

5. a time to scatter stones anda time to gather them,a time to hug anda time to stop hugging,

6. a time to start looking anda time to stop looking,a time to keep anda time to throw away,

7. a time to tear apart anda time to sew together,a time to keep quiet anda time to speak out,

8. a time to love anda time to hate,a time for war anda time for peace.

9. What do working people gain from their hard labor?

10. I have seen mortals weighed down with a burden that God has placed on them.

11. It is beautiful how God has done everything at the right time. He has put a sense of eternity in people’s minds. Yet, mortals still can’t grasp what God is doing from the beginning to the end ⌊of time⌋.

12. I realize that there’s nothing better for them to do than to be cheerful and enjoy what is good in their lives.

13. It is a gift from God to be able to eat and drink and experience the good that comes from every kind of hard work.

14. I realize that whatever God does will last forever. Nothing can be added to it, and nothing can be taken away from it. God does this so that people will fear him.

15. Whatever has happened ⌊in the past⌋ is present now. Whatever is going to happen ⌊in the future⌋ has already happened ⌊in the past⌋. God will call the past to account.

16. I saw something else under the sun:There is wickedness where justice should be found.There is wickedness where righteousness should be found.