24 fThere is nothing better for a person than that he should geat and drink and find enjoyment1 in his toil. This also, I saw, is hfrom the hand of God, 25 for apart from him2 who can eat or who can have enjoyment?
A Time for Everything
1 For everything there is a season, and la time for every matter under heaven:
2 a time to be born, and a time to mdie;
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
3 a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 a time to nweep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to odance;
5 a time to pcast away stones, and a time to qgather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to rrefrain from embracing;
6 a time to seek, and a time to slose;
a time to keep, and a time to tcast away;
7 a time to utear, and a time to sew;
a time to vkeep silence, and a time to speak;
8 a time to love, and a time to whate;
a time for war, and a time for peace.
The God-Given Task
9 What xgain has the worker from his toil? 10 I have seen ythe business that zGod has given to the children of man to be busy with. 11 He has amade everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot bfind out what God has done from the beginning to the end. 12 I perceived that there is cnothing better for them than to be joyful and to ddo good as long as they live; 13 also ethat everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is fGod’s gift to man.
Enjoy Life with the One You Love
7 Go, keat your bread with joy, and drink your wine with a merry heart, for God has already approved what you do.
8 lLet your garments be always white. Let not moil be lacking on your head.
9 Enjoy life with the wife whom you love, all the days of your nvain1 life that he has given you under the sun, because that is your oportion in life and in your toil at which you toil under the sun. 10 Whatever your hand finds to do, pdo it with your might,2 qfor there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.
