1For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: (Ec 3:17; Ec 8:6)2a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; (Heb 9:27)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; (Ex 15:20; 2Sa 6:14; Ro 12:15)5a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (2Ki 3:25; Isa 5:2; Joe 2:16)6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (Pr 11:24; Mt 10:39)7a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (Ge 37:29; Am 5:13)8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. (Lu 14:26)
The God-Given Task
9What gain has the worker from his toil? (Ec 1:3)10I have seen the business that God has given to the children of man to be busy with. (Ge 3:17; Ec 1:13)11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. (Ge 1:31; Job 5:9; Ec 8:17; Ro 11:33)12I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; (Ps 34:14; Ps 37:3; Ec 3:22)13also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. (Ec 2:24; Ec 5:19)14I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. (Jas 1:17)15That which is, already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God seeks what has been driven away.[1] (Ec 1:9; Ec 12:14)
From Dust to Dust
16Moreover, I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. (Ec 4:1; Ec 5:8)17I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work. (Ec 3:1; Ec 8:6; Mt 16:27; Ro 2:6; 2Co 5:10; 2Th 1:6)18I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but beasts. (Ps 49:12; Ps 49:20; Ps 73:22)19For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.[2] (Ec 2:14)20All go to one place. All are from the dust, and to dust all return. (Ge 3:19; Ec 12:7)21Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? (Ec 12:7)22So I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for that is his lot. Who can bring him to see what will be after him? (Ec 2:10; Ec 2:19; Ec 2:24; Ec 6:12; Ec 8:7; Ec 10:14)
1There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens: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 tear 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 scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,6a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,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.9What do workers gain from their toil?10I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race.11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet[1] no-one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.12I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live.13That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil – this is the gift of God.14I know that everything God does will endure for ever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him.15Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account.[2]16And I saw something else under the sun: in the place of judgment – wickedness was there, in the place of justice – wickedness was there.17I said to myself, ‘God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time to judge every deed.’18I also said to myself, ‘As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.19Surely the fate of human beings is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: as one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath[3]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless.20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?’22So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot. For who can bring them to see what will happen after them?
1There is a time for everything. There’s a time for everything that is done on earth.2There is a time to be born. And there’s a time to die. There is a time to plant. And there’s a time to pull up what is planted.3There is a time to kill. And there’s a time to heal. There is a time to tear down. And there’s a time to build up.4There is a time to weep. And there’s a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. And there’s a time to dance.5There is a time to scatter stones. And there’s a time to gather them. There is a time to embrace someone. And there’s a time not to embrace.6There is a time to search. And there’s a time to stop searching. There is a time to keep. And there’s a time to throw away.7There is a time to tear. And there’s a time to mend. There is a time to be silent. And there’s a time to speak.8There is a time to love. And there’s a time to hate. There is a time for war. And there’s a time for peace.9What do workers get for their hard work?10I’ve seen the heavy load God has put on human beings.11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also given people a sense of who he is. But they can’t completely understand what God has done from beginning to end.12People should be happy and do good while they live. I know there’s nothing better for them to do than that.13Each of them should eat and drink. People should be satisfied with all their hard work. That is God’s gift to them.14I know that everything God does will last for ever. Nothing can be added to it. And nothing can be taken from it. God does that so people will have respect for him.15Everything that now exists has already been. And what is coming has existed before. God will judge those who treat others badly.16Here’s something else I saw on earth. Where people should be treated right, they are treated wrong. Where people should be treated fairly, they are treated unfairly.17I said to myself, ‘God will judge godly and sinful people alike. He has a time for every act. He has a time to judge everything that is done.’18I also said to myself, ‘God tests human beings. He does this so they can see that in certain ways they are like animals.19Surely what happens to animals happens to people too. Death waits for people and animals alike. People die, just as animals do. All of them have the same breath. People don’t have any advantage over animals. Nothing has any meaning.20People and animals go to the same place. All of them come from dust. And all of them return to dust.21Who can know whether the spirit of a person goes up? Who can tell whether the spirit of an animal goes down into the earth?’22So a person should enjoy their work. That’s what God made them for. I saw that there’s nothing better for them to do than that. After all, who can show them what will happen after they are gone?
Ecclesiastes 3
King James Version
1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:2A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;6A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.9What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.11He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.12I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.13And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.14I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it , that men should fear before him.15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.17I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.18I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.19For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.20All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?22Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?
Ecclesiastes 3
Einheitsübersetzung 2016
from Katholisches Bibelwerk1Alles hat seine Stunde. Für jedes Geschehen unter dem Himmel gibt es eine bestimmte Zeit: (Ps 31:16; Ec 3:17; Ec 8:5; Ec 9:11; Sir 43:7)2eine Zeit zum Gebären / und eine Zeit zum Sterben, / eine Zeit zum Pflanzen / und eine Zeit zum Ausreißen der Pflanzen, (Job 5:26; Ec 7:17; Isa 28:23)3eine Zeit zum Töten / und eine Zeit zum Heilen, / eine Zeit zum Niederreißen / und eine Zeit zum Bauen, (Jer 1:10; Eze 36:36; Am 9:14)4eine Zeit zum Weinen / und eine Zeit zum Lachen, / eine Zeit für die Klage / und eine Zeit für den Tanz; (Ge 23:2; Es 4:1; Ec 12:5; Sir 22:11)5eine Zeit zum Steinewerfen / und eine Zeit zum Steinesammeln, / eine Zeit zum Umarmen / und eine Zeit, die Umarmung zu lösen,6eine Zeit zum Suchen / und eine Zeit zum Verlieren, / eine Zeit zum Behalten/ und eine Zeit zum Wegwerfen, (Ec 7:28; So 3:1; So 5:6; So 6:1)7eine Zeit zum Zerreißen/ und eine Zeit zum Zusammennähen, / eine Zeit zum Schweigen / und eine Zeit zum Reden, (Ge 37:29; Job 2:13; Ps 39:10; Pr 15:23)8eine Zeit zum Lieben / und eine Zeit zum Hassen, / eine Zeit für den Krieg / und eine Zeit für den Frieden. (2Sa 13:15; Ec 9:1)9Wenn jemand etwas tut - welchen Vorteil hat er davon, dass er sich anstrengt? (Ec 1:3)10Ich sah mir das Geschäft an, für das jeder Mensch durch Gottes Auftrag sich abmüht. (Ec 1:13)11Das alles hat er schön gemacht zu seiner Zeit. Überdies hat er die Ewigkeit in ihr Herz hineingelegt, doch ohne dass der Mensch das Tun, das Gott getan hat, von seinem Anfang bis zu seinem Ende wiederfinden könnte.[1] (Ps 139:13; Ec 3:14; Ec 7:14; Ec 8:16; Ec 11:5; Isa 45:7; Sir 39:16)12Ich hatte erkannt: Es gibt kein in allem Tun gründendes Glück, es sei denn, ein jeder freut sich und so verschafft er sich Glück, während er noch lebt, (Ec 2:10)13wobei zugleich immer, wenn ein Mensch isst und trinkt und durch seinen ganzen Besitz das Glück kennenlernt, das ein Geschenk Gottes ist. (Ec 2:24)14Jetzt erkannte ich: Alles, was Gott tut, geschieht in Ewigkeit. Man kann nichts hinzufügen und nichts abschneiden und Gott hat bewirkt, dass die Menschen ihn fürchten. (De 4:2; De 13:1; Pr 30:6; Ec 1:4; Sir 16:24; Sir 18:6; Sir 42:21; Bar 3:7)15Was auch immer geschehen ist, war schon vorher da, und was geschehen soll, ist schon geschehen und Gott wird das Verjagte wieder suchen. (Ec 1:9; Sir 5:3)
DIE ÜBEL DER WELT
Unrecht bei Gericht
16Noch etwas habe ich beobachtet unter der Sonne: An der Stätte, wo man Urteil spricht, geschieht Unrecht; an der Stätte, wo man gerechtes Urteil sprechen sollte, geschieht Unrecht. (Ex 23:1; De 16:18; Ec 5:7; Ec 8:12; Isa 5:7; Am 5:7; Mic 3:1)17Da dachte ich mir: Gott ist es, der den Unschuldigen wie den Schuldigen verurteilt. Denn eine bestimmte Zeit für jedes Geschehen und für jedes Tun gibt es dort. (1Ki 3:16; 1Ki 8:31; Ec 3:1; Ec 11:3)18Was die einzelnen Menschen angeht, dachte ich mir, dass Gott sie herausgegriffen hat und dass sie selbst erkennen müssen, dass sie eigentlich Tiere sind.19Denn jeder Mensch unterliegt dem Geschick und auch die Tiere unterliegen dem Geschick. Sie haben ein und dasselbe Geschick. Wie diese sterben, so sterben jene. Beide haben ein und denselben Atem. Einen Vorteil des Menschen gegenüber dem Tier gibt es da nicht. Denn beide sind Windhauch. (Ps 49:13; Ec 2:14)20Beide gehen an ein und denselben Ort. Beide sind aus Staub entstanden, beide kehren zum Staub zurück. (Ge 2:7; Ge 3:19; Job 34:14; Ps 103:14; Ps 104:29; Ps 146:4; Ec 6:6; Ec 12:7; Wis 2:2; Sir 17:1; Sir 40:11)21Wer weiß, ob der Atem der einzelnen Menschen wirklich nach oben steigt, während der Atem der Tiere ins Erdreich hinabsinkt? (Ge 7:15)22So habe ich eingesehen: Es gibt kein Glück, es sei denn, der Mensch kann durch sein Tun Freude gewinnen. Das ist sein Anteil. Denn wer könnte ihn dahin bringen zu sehen, was nach ihm sein wird? (Ec 2:10; Ec 6:12)