| Berean Study Bible | New International Version |
| 1To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: | 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, | 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 break down and a time to build, | 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, | 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, | 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 count as lost, a time to keep and a time to discard, | 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, | 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. | 8a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace. |
| 9What does the worker gain from his toil? | 9What do workers gain from their toil? |
| 10I have seen the burden that God has laid upon the sons of men to occupy them. | 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 hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end. | 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. |
| 12I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live, | 12I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. |
| 13and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God. | 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 endures forever; nothing can be added to it or taken from it. God does it so that they should fear Him. | 14I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that people will fear him. |
| 15What exists has already been, and what will be has already been, for God will call to account what has passed. | 15Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. |
| 16Furthermore, I saw under the sun that in the place of judgment there is wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness. | 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 in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, since there is a time for every activity and every deed.” | 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 said to myself, “As for the sons of men, God tests them so that they may see for themselves that they are but beasts.” | 18I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. |
| 19For the fates of both men and beasts are the same: As one dies, so dies the other—they all have the same breath. Man has no advantage over the animals, since everything is futile. | 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; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. |
| 20All go to one place; all come from dust, and all return to dust. | 20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. |
| 21Who knows if the spirit of man rises upward and the spirit of the animal descends into the earth? | 21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?" |
| 22I have seen that there is nothing better for a man than to enjoy his work, because that is his lot. For who can bring him to see what will come after him? | 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? |
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