Ecclesiastes 3:4

Brenton's Septuagint

a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance;

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
a time to weep and a time to laugh;a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Hebrew Names Version
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

King James Version
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

English Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

New American Standard Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

New Century Version
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance.

Amplified Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

World English Bible
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

Geneva Bible (1587)
A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

Legacy Standard Bible
A time to weep and a time to laugh;A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Berean Standard Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Contemporary English Version
for crying and laughing, weeping and dancing,

Complete Jewish Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

Darby Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Easy-to-Read Version
There is a time to cry and a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad and a time to dance with joy.

George Lamsa Translation
A time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Good News Translation
He sets the time for sorrow and the time for joy, the time for mourning and the time for dancing,

Lexham English Bible
a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

Literal Translation
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
A tyme to wepe, and a tyme to laugh: A tyme to mourne, and a tyme to daunse:

American Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Bible in Basic English
A time for weeping and a time for laughing; a time for sorrow and a time for dancing;

JPS Old Testament (1917)
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; {S}{S}{N}

King James Version (1611)
A time to weepe, and a time to laugh: a time to mourne, and a time to dance.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
A tyme to weepe, and a tyme to laugh: a tyme to mourne, & a tyme to daunce.

English Revised Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Tyme to wepe, and tyme to leiye; tyme to biweile, and tyme to daunse.

Update Bible Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Webster's Bible Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

New English Translation
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.

New King James Version
A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

New Living Translation
A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

New Life Bible
There is a time to cry, and a time to laugh; a time to have sorrow, and a time to dance.

New Revised Standard
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
A time to weep, and a time to laugh, - A time to wail, and a time to dance for joy;

Douay-Rheims Bible
A time to weep, and a time to laugh. A time to mourn, and a time to dance.

Revised Standard Version
a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

Young's Literal Translation
A time to weep, And a time to laugh. A time to mourn, And a time to skip.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance.

Contextual Overview

¹ To all things there is a time, and a season for every matter under heaven. ² A time of birth, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what has been planted; ³ a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to pull down, and a time to build up; ⁴ a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to lament, and a time to dance; ⁵ a time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to abstain from embracing; ⁶ a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; ⁷ a time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to be silent, and a time to speak; ⁸ a time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace. ⁹ What advantage has he that works in those things wherein he labours? ¹⁰ I have seen all the trouble, which God has given to the sons of men to be troubled with.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

time to weep: Nehemiah 8:9-12, Nehemiah 9:1-38, Psalms 30:5, Psalms 126:1, Psalms 126:2, Psalms 126:5, Psalms 126:6, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 22:13, Matthew 9:15, Matthew 11:17, John 16:20-22, Romans 12:15, 2 Corinthians 7:10, James 4:9

a time to laugh: Genesis 21:6, Luke 1:13, Luke 1:14, Luke 1:58, Luke 6:21-25

to dance: Exodus 15:20, 2 Samuel 6:16

Reciprocal: Judges 21:21 - dance 1 Chronicles 15:29 - dancing Job 30:31 - General Psalms 30:11 - dancing Psalms 137:4 - How shall Proverbs 25:20 - so Ecclesiastes 7:14 - the day Song of Solomon 2:11 - General Ezekiel 21:10 - should Zechariah 7:3 - Should Luke 15:25 - he John 20:13 - why 1 Corinthians 7:30 - that weep

Cross-References

Genesis 3:13
And Adam said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me—she gave me of the tree and I ate.

Deuteronomy 29:19
And it shall be if one shall hear the words of this curse, and shall flatter himself in his heart, saying, Let good happen to me, for I will walk in the error of my heart, lest the sinner destroy the guiltless with him:

2 Kings 1:4
For thus saith the Lord, The bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die. And Eliu went, and said so to them.

2 Kings 1:6
And they said to him, A man came up to meet us, and said to us, Go, return to the king that sent you, and say to him, Thus saith the Lord, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou goest to enquire of Baal fly, the God of Accaron? it shall not be so: the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die.

2 Kings 1:16
And Eliu spoke to him, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Why hast thou sent messengers to enquire of Baal fly, the god of Accaron? it shall not be so: the bed on which thou art gone up, thou shalt not come down from it, for thou shalt surely die.

2 Kings 8:10
And Elisaie said, Go, say, Thou shalt certainly live; yet the Lord has shewed me that thou shalt surely die.

Psalms 10:11
For he has said in his heart, God has forgotten: he has turned away his face so as never to look.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

A time to weep, and a time to laugh,.... There is a time for these things, as it goes ill or well with persons, as to their health, estate, or friends; and as it goes ill or well with kingdoms and states. The Jews wept when they were in Babylon, and their mouths were filled with laughter when their captivity was returned,

Psalms 137:1; and as it goes ill or well with the church of Christ, when there are corruptions in doctrine and worship, a neglect of ordinances, declensions in faith and practice, few instances of conversion, and there are divisions and contentions, it is a time for the mourners in Zion to weep but when God creates Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy, or makes her an eternal excellency, and the praise of the whole earth, then it is a time to rejoice and be glad, Isaiah 61:3; and as it is, with believers, when Christ is withdrawn from them, it is a time to lament, but, when the bridegroom is with them, it is a time of joy; when it is a night of darkness and desertion, weeping endures, but when the morning comes, the day breaks, and the sun of righteousness arises, joy comes with it, Matthew 9:15

John 16:19. Now in the present state is the saints' weeping time; in the time to come they will laugh, or be filled with joy unspeakable and full of glory, Luke 6:21;

a time to mourn, and a time to dance; to mourn at funerals, and to dance at festivals; in a spiritual sense, God sometimes turns the mourning of his people into dancing, or joy, which that is expressive of; see Psalms 30:11.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Ecclesiastes 3:4. A time to weep, - laugh, - mourn, - dance —

_________________ "When private griefs affect

The heart, our tears with decent sorrow flow;

Nor less becoming, when the public mourns,

To vent the deepest sighs. But all around

When things a smiling aspect bear, our souls

May well exult; 'tis then a time for joy."