Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964 bbe — He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see…

Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964 in the Bible in Basic English reads: “He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last. I am certain that there is nothing better for a man than to be glad, and to do good while life is in him. And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God. I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him. Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past. And again, I saw under the sun, in the place of the judges, that evil was there; and in the place of righteousness, that evil was there. I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him. I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, so that God may put them to the test and that they may see themselves as beasts. Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose. All go to one place, all are of the dust, and all will be turned to dust again. Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to have joy in his work--because that is his reward. Who will make him see what will come after him?”

Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964 is found in the Old Testament, in the book of Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, verses 11–1964.

Ecclesiastes is traditionally attributed to Solomon (traditional; identified as "the Preacher, son of David"). It was written c. 940 BC.

Ecclesiastes is a candid meditation on life "under the sun" — its pleasures, its pains, and its apparent vanity. The Preacher tries wisdom, wealth, work, and pleasure, finds them all empty without God, and concludes that fearing God and keeping his commandments is the whole of man.

Ecclesiastes explores themes including Vanity, Time, Meaning, Fear of God, Mortality. These themes shape the meaning and context of Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964 is available on GodsGoodBook in the King James Version (KJV), American Standard Version (ASV), World English Bible (WEB), NET Bible, Young's Literal Translation, Darby Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible, and the Bible in Basic English. Each translation reflects different translation philosophies — use the translation picker on this page to compare them, or browse our full translations directory.

Ecclesiastes 3:11-1964 reads (BBE): “He has made everything right in its time; but he has made their hearts without knowledge, so that man is unable to see the works of God, from the first to the last. I am certain that there is nothing better for a man than to be glad, and to do good while life is in him. And for every man to take food and drink, and have joy in all his work, is a reward from God. I am certain that whatever God does will be for ever. No addition may be made to it, nothing may be taken from it; and God has done it so that man may be in fear before him. Whatever is has been before, and what is to be is now; because God makes search for the things which are past. And again, I saw under the sun, in the place of the judges, that evil was there; and in the place of righteousness, that evil was there. I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him. I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, so that God may put them to the test and that they may see themselves as beasts. Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose. All go to one place, all are of the dust, and all will be turned to dust again. Who is certain that the spirit of the sons of men goes up to heaven, or that the spirit of the beasts goes down to the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than for a man to have joy in his work--because that is his reward. Who will make him see what will come after him?” Read it aloud, break it into short phrases, repeat each phrase three times before adding the next, then put the phrases together. Reading it in multiple translations (above) often helps the meaning settle.