New American Standard Bible 1995

Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is 1wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.

17I said 2to myself, “3God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a 4time for every 5matter and for every deed is there.

18I said 6to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but 7beasts.”

19 8For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts 9is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is 10vanity.

20All go to the same place. All came from the 11dust and all return to the dust.

21Who knows that the 12breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

22I have seen that 13nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see 14what will occur after him?

Read all of Ecclesiastes 3

Notes

1. Ecclesiastes 3:16 Eccl 4:1; 5:8; 8:9 ↩
2. Ecclesiastes 3:17 Lit in my heart ↩
3. Ecclesiastes 3:17 Gen 18:25; Ps 96:13; 98:9; Eccl 11:9; Matt 16:27; Rom 2:6-10; 2 Thess 1:6-9 ↩
4. Ecclesiastes 3:17 Eccl 3:1; 8:6 ↩
5. Ecclesiastes 3:17 Or delight ↩
6. Ecclesiastes 3:18 Lit in my heart ↩
7. Ecclesiastes 3:18 Ps 49:12, 20; 73:22 ↩
8. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Ps 49:12; Eccl 9:12 ↩
9. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Lit and they have one fate ↩
10. Ecclesiastes 3:19 Or futility ↩
11. Ecclesiastes 3:20 Gen 3:19; Ps 103:14; Eccl 12:7 ↩
12. Ecclesiastes 3:21 Eccl 12:7 ↩
13. Ecclesiastes 3:22 Eccl 2:24 ↩
14. Ecclesiastes 3:22 Eccl 2:18; 6:12; 8:7; 10:14 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3