| King James Bible | New International Version |
| 1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the 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 pluck up that which is planted; | 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 up; | 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 get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; | 6a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away, |
| 7A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, 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 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 hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth? | 9What do workers gain from their toil? |
| 10I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it. | 10I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. |
| 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. | 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 no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life. | 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 enjoy the good of all his labour, it 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, 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. | 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. |
| 15That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. | 15Whatever is has already been, and what will be has been before; and God will call the past to account. |
| 16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. | 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 mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. | 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 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. | 18I also said to myself, "As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals. |
| 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. | 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 unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. | 20All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return. |
| 21Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? | 21Who knows if the human spirit rises upward and if the spirit of the animal goes down into 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? | 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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