New American Standard Bible 1995

Ecclesiastes 3:17-22

17I said 1to myself, “2God will judge both the righteous man and the wicked man,” for a 3time for every 4matter and for every deed is there.

18I said 5to myself concerning the sons of men, “God has surely tested them in order for them to see that they are but 6beasts.”

19 7For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts 8is 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 9vanity.

20All go to the same place. All came from the 10dust and all return to the dust.

21Who knows that the 11breath of man ascends upward and the breath of the beast descends downward to the earth?

22I have seen that 12nothing is better than that man should be happy in his activities, for that is his lot. For who will bring him to see 13what will occur after him?

Read all of Ecclesiastes 3

Notes

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

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3