| New King James Version | NET Bible |
| 1To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven: | 1For everything there is an appointed time, and an appropriate time for every activity on earth: |
| 2A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted; | 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; | 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; | 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; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing; | 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 gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away; | 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 tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; | 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 of war, And a time of peace. | 8A time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace. |
| 9What profit has the worker from that in which he labors? | 9What benefit can a worker gain from his toil? |
| 10I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. | 10I have observed the burden that God has given to people to keep them occupied. |
| 11He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. | 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. |
| 12I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, | 12I 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 every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor—it is the gift of God. | 13and also that everyone should eat and drink, and find enjoyment in all his toil, for these things are a gift from God. |
| 14I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. | 14I 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. |
| 15That which is has already been, And what is to be has already been; And God requires an account of what is past. | 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. |
| 16Moreover I saw under the sun: In the place of judgment, Wickedness was there; And in the place of righteousness, Iniquity was there. | 16I saw something else on earth: In the place of justice, there was wickedness, and in the place of fairness, there was wickedness. |
| 17I said in my heart, “God shall judge the righteous and the wicked, For there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” | 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 said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” | 18I also thought to myself, "It is for the sake of people, so God can clearly show them that they are like animals. |
| 19For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. | 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. |
| 20All go to one place: all are from the dust, and all return to dust. | 20Both go to the same place, both come from the dust, and to dust both return. |
| 21Who knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth? | 21Who really knows if the human spirit ascends upward, and the animal's spirit descends into the earth? |
| 22So I perceived that nothing is better than that a man should rejoice in his own works, for that is his heritage. For who can bring him to see what will happen after him? | 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? |
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