Ecclesiastes 3:16–22

¹⁶And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that ^bwickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there. ¹⁷I said in mine heart, ^aGod shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is ^ca time ^dthere for every purpose and for every work.

¹⁸I said in my heart ^econcerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might ^fmanifest them, and that they might see ^gthat they themselves are beasts.¹⁹For ^hthat which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even ⁱone thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. ²⁰All go unto one place; ^kall are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. ²¹Who knoweth ^lthe spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? ²²Wherefore I perceive ^mthat there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for ⁿthat is his portion: for who shall bring him to see ^owhat shall be after him?

IV.