Ecclesiastes 3
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Ecclesiastes chapter 3 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
2 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 2 Fathers — Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus and Saint Dionysius the Great of Alexandria.
Ecclesiastes 3
1To all things there is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven.Τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ χρόνος, καὶ καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι ὑπὸ τὸν οὐρανόν.
2A time of birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has been planted;Καιρὸς τοῦ τεκεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν, καιρὸς τοῦ φυτεῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκτίλαι τὸ πεφυτευμένον·
3a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to pull down, and a time to build up;Καιρὸς τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἰάσασθαι, καιρὸς τοῦ καθελεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ οἰκοδομεῖν·
4a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance;Καιρὸς τοῦ κλαῦσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ γελάσαι, καιρὸς τοῦ κόψασθαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ὀρχήσασθαι·
5a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to abstain from embracing;Καιρὸς τοῦ βαλεῖν λίθους καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ συναγαγεῖν λίθους, καιρὸς τοῦ περιλαβεῖν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μακρυνθῆναι ἀπὸ περιλήψεως·
6a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;Καιρὸς τοῦ ζητῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἀπολέσαι, καιρὸς τοῦ φυλάξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ἐκβαλεῖν·
7a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak;Καιρὸς τοῦ ῥῆξαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ ῥάψαι, καιρὸς τοῦ σιγᾷν καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ λαλεῖν·
8a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.Καιρὸς τοῦ φιλῆσαι καὶ καιρὸς τοῦ μισῆσαι, καιρὸς πολέμου καὶ καιρὸς εἰρήνης.
9What advantage has he that works in those things wherein he labors?Τίς περίσσεια τοῦ ποιοῦντος ἐν οἷς αὐτὸς μοχθεῖ;
10I have seen all the trouble, which God has given to the sons of men to be troubled with.Εἶδον σὺν πάντα τὸν περισπασμὸν, ὃν ἔδωκεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων τοῦ περισπᾶσθαι ἐν αὐτῷ.
11All the things which he has made are beautiful in his time: he has also set the whole world in their heart, that man might not find out the work which God has wrought from the beginning even to the end.Τὰ σύμπαντα ἃ ἐποίησε καλὰ ἐν καιρῷ αὐτοῦ· καί γε σύμπαντα τὸν αἰῶνα ἔδωκεν ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτῶν, ὅπως μὴ εὕρῃ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τὸ ποίημα ὁ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς καὶ μέχρι τέλους.
12I know that there is no good in them, except for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.Ἔγνων ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς, εἰ μὴ τοῦ εὐφρανθῆναι καὶ τοῦ ποιεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν ζωῇ αὐτοῦ·
13Also in the case of every man who shall eat and drink, and see good in all his labor, this is a gift of God.Καί γε πᾶς ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὃς φάγεται καὶ πίεται, καὶ ἴδῃ ἀγαθὸν ἐν παντὶ μόχθῳ αὐτοῦ, δόμα Θεοῦ ἐστιν.
14I know that whatever things God has done, they shall be for ever: it is impossible to add to it, and it is impossible to take away from it: and God has done it, that men may fear before him.Ἔγνων ὅτι πάντα ὅσα ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὰ ἔσται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ οὐκ ἔστι προσθεῖναι, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀφελεῖν· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησεν, ἵνα φοβηθῶσιν ἀπὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ.
15That which has been is now; and whatever things are appointed to be have already been; and God will seek out that which is past.Τὸ γενόμενον ἤδη ἐστί, καὶ ὅσα τοῦ γίνεσθαι ἤδη γέγονε, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς ζητήσει τὸν διωκόμενον.
16And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, there was the ungodly one; and the place of righteousness, there was the godly one.Καὶ ἔτι εἶδον ὑπὸ τὸν ἥλιον τόπον τῆς κρίσεως, ἐκεῖ ὁ ἀσεβής· καὶ τόπον τοῦ δικαίου, ἐκεῖ ὁ εὐσεβής.
17And I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the ungodly: for there is a time there for every action and for every work.Καὶ εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, σὺν τὸν δίκαιον καὶ σὺν τὸν ἀσεβῆ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καιρὸς τῷ παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπὶ παντὶ τῷ ποιήματι ἐκεῖ.
18I said in my heart, concerning the speech of the sons of man, God will judge them, and that to show that they are beasts.Εἶπα ἐγὼ ἐν καρδίᾳ μου, περὶ λαλιᾶς υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὅτι διακρινεῖ αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ τοῦ δεῖξαι ὅτι αὐτοὶ κτήνη εἰσί.
19Also to them is the event of the sons of man, and the event of the brute; one event befalls them: as is the death of the one, so also the death of the other; and there is one breath to all: and what has the man more than the brute? nothing; for all is vanity.Καί γε αὐτοῖς συνάντημα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ συνάντημα τοῦ κτήνους, συνάντημα ἓν αὐτοῖς· ὡς ὁ θάνατος τούτου, οὕτως καὶ ὁ θάνατος τούτου· καὶ πνεῦμα ἓν τοῖς πᾶσι· καὶ τί ἐπερίσσευσεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος παρὰ τὸ κτῆνος; οὐδέν· ὅτι πάντα ματαιότης.
20All go to one place; all were formed of the dust, and all will return to dust.Τὰ πάντα εἰς τόπον ἕνα, τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο ἀπὸ τοῦ χοὸς, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστρέψει εἰς τὸν χοῦν.
21And who has seen the spirit of the sons of man, whether it goes upward? and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth?Καὶ τίς εἶδε πνεῦμα υἱῶν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ ἀναβαίνει αὐτὸ ἄνω; καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κτήνους, εἰ καταβαίνει αὐτὸ κάτω εἰς γῆν;
22And I saw that there was no good, but that wherein a man shall rejoice in his works, for it is his portion, for who shall bring him to see any thing of that which shall be after him?Καὶ εἶδον ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀγαθὸν εἰ μὴ ὃ εὐφρανθήσεται ὁ ἀνθρωπος ἐν ποιήμασιν αὐτοῦ, ὅτι αὐτὸ μερὶς αὐτοῦ, ὅτι τίς ἄξει αὐτὸν τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐν ᾧ ἐὰν γένηται μετʼ αὐτόν;
The Fathers on Ecclesiastes 3
Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus and Saint Dionysius the Great of Alexandria comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Ecclesiastes 3Saint Gregory ThaumaturgusChapter III. For this present time is filled with all things that are most contrary to each other—births and deaths, the growth of plants and their uprooting, cures and killings, the building up and the pulling down of houses, weeping and laughing, mourning and dancing. At this moment a man gathers of earth’s products, and at another casts them away; and at…
Read Metaphrase of Ecclesiastes →
On Ecclesiastes 3Open Ecclesiastes 3 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Dionysius the Great of AlexandriaChapter III. Ver. 3. “There is a time to kill, and a time to heal.” To “kill,” in the case of him who perpetrates unpardonable transgression; and to “heal,” in the case of him who can show a wound that will bear remedy. 4. “A time to weep, and a time to laugh.” A time to weep, when it is the time of suffering; as when the Lord also says, “Verily I say unto…
Read Commentary on the Beginning of Ecclesiastes →