Ecclesiastes 3:8-4:3

English Standard Version

The God-Given Task

⁹ What ^(B)gain has the worker from his toil? ¹⁰ I have seen ^(C)the business that ^(D)God has given to the children of man to be busy with. ¹¹ He has ^(E)made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man's heart, yet so that he cannot ^(F)find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. ¹² I perceived that there is ^(G)nothing better for them than to be joyful and to ^(H)do good as long as they live; ¹³ also ^(I)that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is ^(J)God's gift to man.

¹⁴ I perceived that whatever God does endures forever; ^(K)nothing can be added to it, nor anything taken from it. God has done it, so that people fear before him. ¹⁵ That which is, ^(L)already has been; that which is to be, already has been; and God ^(M)seeks what has been driven away.^[a]

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶ Moreover, ^(N)I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even ^(O)there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness. ¹⁷ I said in my heart, ^(P)God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is ^(Q)a time for every matter and for every work. ¹⁸ I said in my heart with regard to the children of man that God is testing them that they may see that they themselves are but ^(R)beasts. ^19 (S)For what happens to the children of man and what happens to the beasts is the same; as one dies, so dies the other. They all have the same breath, and man has no advantage over the beasts, for all is vanity.^{[b] 20} All go to one place. All are from ^(T)the dust, and to dust all return. ²¹ Who knows whether ^(U)the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth? ²² So I saw that there is ^(V)nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for ^(W)that is his lot. Who can bring him to see ^(X)what will be after him?

Evil Under the Sun

4 ^(Y)Again I ^(Z)saw all ^(AA)the oppressions that are done under the sun. And behold, the tears of the oppressed, and they had ^(AB)no one to comfort them! On the side of their oppressors there was power, and there was no one to comfort them. ² And I ^(AC)thought the dead who are already dead more fortunate than the living who are still alive. ³ But ^(AD)better than both is he who has not yet been and has not seen the evil deeds that are done under the sun.