Ecclesiastes 3

International Standard Version

The Purposes in God’s Timing

The Purpose of Life

⁹ What benefit does the worker gain from what he undertakes? ¹⁰ I have observed the burdens placed by God on human beings in order to perfect them. ¹¹ He made everything appropriate in its time. He also placed eternity within them—yet, no person can fully comprehend what God is doing from beginning to end.

¹² I have concluded that the only worthwhile thing for them is to take pleasure in doing good in life; ¹³ moreover, every person should eat, drink, and enjoy the benefits of everything that he undertakes, since it is a gift from God.

¹⁴ I have concluded that everything that God undertakes will last for eternity—nothing can be added to it nor taken away from it—and that God acts this way so that people will fear him. ¹⁵ That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place.

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶ I also examined on earth:

¹⁷ I told myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time set to judge^[d] every event and every work.”

¹⁸ “As for human beings,” I told myself, “God puts them to the test, that they might see themselves as mere animals.” ¹⁹ For what happens to people also happens to animals—a single event happens to them: just as someone dies, so does the other. In fact, they all breathe the same way, so that a human being has no superiority over an animal. All of this is pointless. ²⁰ All of them go to one place: all of them originate from dust, and all of them return to dust.

²¹ Who knows whether^[e] the spirit of human beings ascends, and whether^[f] the spirit of animals descends to the earth? ²² I concluded that it is worthwhile for people to find joy in their accomplishments, because that is their inheritance, since who can see what will exist after them?