# Ecclesiastes 3.15 **Book:** [Ecclesiastes](/codex/ecclesiastes/) · NASB95 ## Immediate context (±2 verses) **ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/)) > 13. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God. 14. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God hath done it, that men should fear before him. > > **15. That which is hath been long ago; and that which is to be hath long ago been: and God seeketh again that which is passed away.** > > 16. And moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. 17. I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. (Ecclesiastes 3:13-17, ASV) **WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/)) > 13. Also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy good in all his labor, is the gift of God. 14. I know that whatever God does, it shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it; and God has done it, that men should fear before him. > > **15. That which is has been long ago, and that which is to be has been long ago: and God seeks again that which is passed away.** > > 16. Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there. 17. I said in my heart, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.” (Ecclesiastes 3:13-17, WEB) **KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/)) > 13. And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God. 14. I 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. > > **15. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past. that which is past: Heb. that which is driven away** > > 16. And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. 17. I 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. (Ecclesiastes 3:13-17, KJV) **YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/)) > 13. yea, even every man who eateth and hath drunk and seen good by all his labour, it [is] a gift of God. 14. I have known that all that God doth is to the age, to it nothing is to be added, and from it nothing is to be withdrawn; and God hath wrought that they do fear before Him. > > **15. What is that which hath been? already it is, and that which [is] to be hath already been, and God requireth that which is pursued.** > > 16. And again, I have seen under the sun the place of judgment, there [is] the wicked; and the place of righteousness, there [is] the wicked. 17. I said in my heart, 'The righteous and the wicked doth God judge, for a time [is] to every matter and for every work there.' (Ecclesiastes 3:13-17, YLT) ## Setting - **Speaker:** _TBD_ - **Audience:** _TBD_ - **Location:** _TBD_ - **Time period:** _TBD_ ## Theological reading _Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added._ ## Key words _Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word._ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ - _TBD_ ## Quoted in **Arguments and defeaters:** - [The Cold Case Argument](/codex/the-cold-case-argument/) ## Notes _Your annotations._ ## Why these four translations ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance. The four: - **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition. - **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English. - **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base. - **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff. See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.