New American Standard Bible 2020

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 the righteous and the wicked,” for a 4time for every matter and for every deed 5is there.

18I said 6to myself regarding the sons of mankind, “God is testing them in order for them to see that they are as 7animals, they to themselves.”

19 8For the fate of the sons of mankind and the fate of animals 9is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath, and there is no advantage for mankind over animals, for all is futility.

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

21Who knows that the 11spirit of the sons of mankind ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth?

22I have seen that 12nothing is better than when a person is happy in his activities, for that is his 13lot. 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 I.e., exists with God ↩
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 3:20 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 Or reward ↩
14. Ecclesiastes 3:22 Eccl 2:18; 6:12; 8:7; 10:14 ↩

Notes

Commentaries on Ecclesiastes 3