Biblia the Byble, that is, the holy Scrypture of the Olde and New Testament, faithfully translated in to Englyshe.

The III. Chapter.

EVery thinge hath a tyme, yee all that is vnder the heauen, hath is conueni∣ent season. There is a tyme to be bor∣ne, and a tyme to dye.* 1.1 There is a tyme to plā∣te, and a tyme to plucke vp the thinge, y^t is planted: A tyme to slaye, and a tyme to make whole: A tyme to breake downe, and a ty∣me to buylde vp: A tyme to wepe, and a ty∣me to laugh: A tyme to mourne, and a tyme to daunse: A tyme to cast awaye stones, and a tyme to gather stones together: A tyme to enbrace, & a tyme to refrayne from enbracyn¦ge: A tyme to wynne, and a tyme to lese: A ty¦me to spare, and a tyme to spende: A tyme to cutt in peces, and a tyme to sowe together: A tyme to kepe sylēce, and a tyme to speake:* 1.2 A tyme to loue, & a tyme to hate: A tyme of warre, and a tyme of peace.

What hath a mā els (that doth eny thin¦ge) but weerynesse and laboure? For as tou∣chinge the trauayle and carefulnesse which God hath geuen vnto mē, I se that he hath geuen it them, to be exercised in it. All this

hath he ordened maruelous goodly, to euery thinge his due tyme. He hath plāted igno¦raunce also in the hertes of men, y^t they shul¦de not fynde out y^e grounde of his workes, which he doth from y^e beginninge to y^e en∣de. So I perceaued, y^t in these thinges the¦re is nothinge better for a man, thē to be me¦ry & to do well so longe as he lyueth. For all y^t a man eateth & drynketh, yee what so euer a mā enioyeth of all his labo^r, y^e same is a gift of God. I cōsidered also y^t what so euer God doth, it cōtinueth for euer, & y^t no¦thinge can be put vnto it ner takē from it: & y^t God doth it to y^e intent, y^t men shulde fea¦re him.* 1.3 The thinge y^t hath bene, is now: & the thinge y^t is for to come, hath bene afore tyme, for God restoreth agayne the thinge [ C] that was past. Morouer, I sawe vnder y^e Sonne, vngodlynesse in the steade of iudg∣ment, & iniquite in steade of rightuousnesse.

Then thought I in my mynde: God shal separate the rightuous from the vngodly, & then shal be the tyme & iudgmēt of all coun¦cels & workes. I cōmoned w^t myne ow∣ne herte also cōcernynge the childrē of men: how God hath chosen them, and yet letteth thē apeare, as though they were beastes: for it happeneth vnto men as it doth vnto beas¦tes, & as the one dyeth, so dyeth y^e other: yee they haue both one maner of breth, so y^t (in this) a man hath no preemynence aboue a beest, but all are subdued vnto vanite. They go all vnto one place, for as they be all of dust, so shal they all turne vnto dust againe.

* 1.4Who knoweth the sprete of man y^t goeth vpwarde, and the breth of the beest y^t goeth downe in to the earth? Wherfore I per∣ceaue, y^t there is nothyinge better for a man, then to be ioyfull in his laboure, for that is his porcion. But who wil brynge him to se the thinge, that shal come after him?

Notes

• * 1.1

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• * 1.2

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• * 1.3

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• * 1.4

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