Ecclesiastes 3:17 — Meaning and Application

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}

And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, {that} wickedness {was} there; and the place of righteousness, {that} iniquity {was} there.

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.

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. {that God...: or, that they might clear God, and see, etc}

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all {is} vanity.