Ecclesiastes 3 Ecclesiastes 3
New International Version (NIV) A Time for Everything
1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:
2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,
3 a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to tear down and a time to build,
4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,
5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
6 a time to search and a time to give up, a time to keep and a time to throw away,
7 a time to tear and a time to mend, a time to be silent and a time to speak,
8 a time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.
The word translated “kill” in Ecclesiastes 3:3 is translated from Hebrew “harag”, which actually means in most senses to put a murderer to death. That is in contrast with the word translated “kill” in Exodus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 5:17, which is Hebrew “ratsach”, and that means “murder”.