Translations
Modern
…a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
Traditional
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
Literal
…a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
Latin
Tempus spargendi lapides, et tempus colligendi, tempus amplexandi, et tempus longe fieri ab amplexibus.
Original
Hebrew
English
…a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
Notes
We cannot control when we are born or when we die (Ecclesiastes 8:8), but we must live wisely between those events.
plant and...uproot: Make wise agricultural decisions during the natural seasons.
In ancient Israel, times to kill included capital punishment and war.
During mourning, people in the Near East often tore their clothes.
There is a time to hate, even for God (Psalms 5:5; 11:5).
To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: Wisdom knows that everything has its own time. Both in human activities and in nature (see Ecclesiastes 1:3–7). A wise person knows when to start any activity (Ecclesiastes 8:5). Opportunities do not last long (Ephesians 5:16; Colossians 4:5).