Testimony Text

Ecclesiastes 3:4

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

John August Swanson, Ecclesiastes, One Color Serigraph, 1969

John August Swanson first created Ecclesiastes in the 1960s, inspired by a reading from John F Kennedy’s funeral, and Pete Seeger’s song, “Turn, Turn, Turn.” He revisited the artwork throughout his life.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

 2 a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;

 3 a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

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

 5 a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain 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 tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

 8 a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace.