There is a time to weep. And there’s a time to laugh. There is a time to be sad. And there’s a time to dance.

哭有时，笑有时；哀恸有时，跳舞有时；

哭有时，笑有时；哀恸有时，跳舞有时；

哭有时，笑有时；哀恸有时，跳舞有时；

哭泣有时，欢笑有时；哀伤有时，雀跃有时；

哭有时，笑有时；哀恸有时，踊跃有时；

哭泣有时，欢笑有时；哀哭有时，跳跃有时；

哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時；

哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時；

哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，跳舞有時；

哭泣有時，歡笑有時；哀傷有時，雀躍有時；

哭有時，笑有時；哀慟有時，踴躍有時；

哭有時，笑有時；舉哀有時，踴躍有時；

哭泣有時，歡笑有時；哀哭有時，歡躍有時；

哭有其時、笑有其時、哀有其時、舞有其時、

有時可哭、有時可笑、有時可哀、有時可躍、

哭有時、笑有時、哀有時、躍有時、

a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,

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

A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance.

a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

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

A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;

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

a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance;

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

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

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

Be joyful with those who are joyful. Be sad with those who are sad.

Aaron’s sister Miriam was a prophet. She took a tambourine in her hand. All the women followed her. They played tambourines and danced.

Be full of sorrow. Cry and weep. Change your laughter to mourning. Change your joy to sadness.

What I’m about to tell you is true. You will weep and mourn while the world is full of joy. You will be sad, but your sadness will turn into joy.A woman giving birth to a baby has pain. That’s because her time to give birth has come. But when her baby is born, she forgets the pain. She forgets because she is so happy that a baby has been born into the world.That’s the way it is with you. Now it’s your time to be sad. But I will see you again. Then you will be full of joy. And no one will take away your joy.

Godly sadness causes us to turn away from our sins and be saved. And we are certainly not sorry about that! But worldly sadness brings death.

His anger lasts for only a moment. But his favor lasts for a person’s whole life. Weeping can stay for the night. But joy comes in the morning.

Those who cry as they plant their crops will sing with joy when they gather them in.Those who go out weeping as they carry seeds to plant will come back singing with joy. They will bring the new crop back with them.

But the angel said to him,“ Do not be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will have a child. It will be a boy, and you must call him John.He will be a joy and delight to you. His birth will make many people very glad.

Blessed are you who are hungry now. You will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are sad now. You will laugh.Blessed are you when people hate you, when they have nothing to do with you and say bad things about you, and when they treat your name as something evil. They do all this because you are followers of the Son of Man.“ The prophets of long ago were treated the same way. When these things happen to you, be glad and jump for joy. You will receive many blessings in heaven.“ But how terrible it will be for you who are rich! You have already had your easy life.How terrible for you who are well fed now! You will go hungry. How terrible for you who laugh now! You will cry and be sad.

Our enemies took us away from Zion. But when the Lord brought us home, it seemed like a dream to us.Our mouths were filled with laughter. Our tongues sang with joy. Then the people of other nations said,“ The Lord has done great things for them.”

Sarah said,“ God has given laughter to me. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her. They shared her joy.

The Lord who rules over all called out to you at that time. The Lord told you to weep and cry. He told you to tear your hair out. And he told you to put on the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.Instead, you are enjoying yourselves at wild parties! You are killing cattle and sheep. You are eating their meat and drinking wine. You are saying,“ Let’s eat and drink, because tomorrow we’ll die.”

The ark of the Lord was brought into the City of David. Saul’s daughter Michal was watching from a window. She saw King David leaping and dancing in front of the Lord. That made her hate him in her heart.

Nehemiah was the governor. Ezra was a priest and the teacher of the Law. They spoke up. So did the Levites who were teaching the people. All these men said to the people,“ This day is set apart to honor the Lord your God. So don’t weep. Don’t be sad.” All the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Law.Nehemiah said,“ Go and enjoy some good food and sweet drinks. Send some of it to people who don’t have any. This day is holy to our Lord. So don’t be sad. The joy of the Lord makes you strong.”The Levites calmed all the people down. They said,“ Be quiet. This is a holy day. So don’t be sad.”Then all the people went away to eat and drink. They shared their food with others. They celebrated with great joy. Now they understood the words they had heard. That’s because everything had been explained to them.

Jesus answered,“ How can the guests of the groom be sad while he is with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

It was the 24th day of the seventh month. The Israelites gathered together again. They didn’t eat any food. They wore the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad. They put dust on their heads.The Israelites separated themselves from everyone else. They stood and admitted they had sinned. They also admitted that their people before them had sinned.They stood where they were. They listened while the Levites read parts of the Book of the Law of the Lord their God. They listened for a fourth of the day. They spent another fourth of the day admitting their sins. They also worshiped the Lord their God.Some people were standing on the stairs of the Levites. They included Jeshua, Bani, Kadmiel, Shebaniah, Bunni, Sherebiah, Bani and Kenani. With loud voices they called out to the Lord their God.Then some Levites spoke up. They included Jeshua, Kadmiel, Bani, Hashabneiah, Sherebiah, Hodiah, Shebaniah and Pethahiah. They said to the people,“ Stand up. Praise the Lord your God. He lives for ever and ever!” So the people said,“ Lord, may your glorious name be praised. May it be lifted high above every other name that is blessed and praised.You are the one and only Lord. You made the heavens. You made even the highest heavens. You created all the stars in the sky. You created the earth and everything on it. And you made the oceans and everything in them. You give life to everything. Every living being in heaven worships you.“ You are the Lord God. You chose Abram. You brought him out of Ur in the land of Babylon. You named him Abraham.You knew that his heart was faithful to you. And you made a covenant with him. You promised to give to his children after him a land of their own. It was the land of the Canaanites, Hittites and Amorites. The Perizzites, Jebusites and Girgashites also lived there. You have kept your promise. That’s because you always do what is right and fair.“ You saw how our people of long ago suffered in Egypt. You heard them cry out to you at the Red Sea.You sent signs and wonders against Pharaoh. You sent plagues on all his officials. In fact, you sent them on all the people of Egypt. You knew how they treated our people. They looked down on them. But you made a name for yourself. That name remains to this very day.You parted the waters of the Red Sea for the Israelites. They passed through it on dry ground. But you threw into the sea those who chased them. They sank down like a stone into the mighty waters.By day you led the Israelites with a pillar of cloud. At night you led them with a pillar of fire. It gave them light to show them the way you wanted them to go.“ You came down on Mount Sinai. From heaven you spoke to our people. You gave them rules and laws. Those laws are right and fair. You gave them orders and commands that are good.You taught them about your holy Sabbath day. You gave them commands, orders and laws. You did it through your servant Moses.When the people were hungry, you gave them bread from heaven. When they were thirsty, you brought them water out of a rock. You told them to go into the land of Canaan. You told them to take it as their own. It was the land you had promised to give them.“ But our people before us became proud and stubborn. They didn’t obey your commands.They refused to listen to you. They forgot the miracles you had done among them. So they became stubborn. When they refused to obey you, they appointed a leader for themselves. They wanted to go back to being slaves in Egypt. But you are a God who forgives. You are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. So you didn’t desert them.They made for themselves a metal statue of a god that looked like a calf. They said to one another,‘ Here is your god. He brought you up out of Egypt.’ And they did evil things that dishonored you. But you still didn’t desert them.“ Because you loved them so much, you didn’t leave them in the desert. During the day the pillar of cloud didn’t stop guiding them on their path. At night the pillar of fire didn’t stop shining on the way you wanted them to go.You gave them your good Spirit to teach them. You didn’t hold back your manna from their mouths. And you gave them water when they were thirsty.For 40 years you took good care of them in the desert. They had everything they needed. Their clothes didn’t wear out. And their feet didn’t swell up.“ You gave them kingdoms and nations. You even gave them lands far away. They took over the country of Sihon. He was the king of Heshbon. They also took over the country of Og. He was the king of Bashan.You gave them as many children as there are stars in the sky. You told their parents to enter the land. You told them to take it over. And you brought their children into it.Their children went into the land. They took it as their own. You brought the Canaanites under Israel’s control. The Canaanites lived in the land. But you handed them over to Israel. You also handed over their kings and the other nations in the land to Israel. You allowed Israel to deal with them just as they wanted to.Your people captured cities that had high walls around them. They also took over the rich land in Canaan. They took houses filled with all kinds of good things. They took over wells that had already been dug. They took many vineyards, olive groves and fruit trees. They ate until they were very full and satisfied. They were filled with joy because you were so good to them.“ But they didn’t obey you. Instead, they turned against you. They turned their backs on your law. They killed your prophets. The prophets had warned them to return to you. But they did very evil things that dishonored you.So you handed them over to their enemies, who treated them badly. Then they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them. You loved them very much. So you sent leaders to help them. The leaders saved them from the power of their enemies.“ Then the people were enjoying peace and rest again. That’s when they did what you did not want them to do. Then you handed them over to their enemies. So their enemies ruled over them. When they cried out to you again, you heard them from heaven. You loved them very much. So you saved them time after time.“ You warned them so that they would obey your law again. But they became proud. They didn’t obey your commands. They sinned against your rules. You said,‘ Anyone who obeys my rules will live by them.’ But the people didn’t care about that. They turned their backs on you. They became very stubborn. They refused to listen to you.For many years you put up with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. In spite of that, they didn’t pay any attention. So you handed them over to the nations that were around them.But you loved them very much. So you didn’t put an end to them. You didn’t desert them. That’s because you are a gracious God. You are tender and kind.“ Our God, you are the great God. You are mighty and wonderful. You keep the covenant you made with us. You show us your love. So don’t let all our suffering seem like a small thing to you. We’ve suffered greatly. So have our kings and leaders. So have our priests and prophets. Our people who lived long ago also suffered. And all your people are suffering right now. In fact, we’ve been suffering from the time of the kings of Assyria until today.In spite of everything that has happened to us, you have been fair. You have been faithful in what you have done. But we did what was evil.Our kings and leaders didn’t follow your law. Our priests and our people before us didn’t follow it either. They didn’t pay any attention to your commands or rules that you warned them to keep.They didn’t serve you. They didn’t turn from their evil ways. They didn’t obey you even when they had a kingdom. You were very good to them. And they enjoyed it. You gave them a rich land. It had plenty of room in it. But they still didn’t serve you.“ Now look at us. We are slaves today. We’re slaves in the land you gave our people of long ago. You gave it to them so they could eat its fruit and the other good things it produces.But we have sinned against you. So its great harvest goes to the kings of Persia. You have placed them over us. They rule over our bodies and cattle just as they please. And we are suffering terribly.“ So we are making a firm agreement. We’re writing it down. Our leaders are putting their official marks on it. And so are our Levites and priests.”

“‘ We played the flute for you. But you didn’t dance. We sang a funeral song. But you didn’t become sad.’