Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
World English Bible
18 I said in my heart, “As for the sons of men, God tests them, so that they may see that they themselves are like animals. 19 For that which happens to the sons of men happens to animals. Even one thing happens to them. As the one dies, so the other dies. Yes, they have all one breath; and man has no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. 20 All go to one place. All are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, whether it goes downward to the earth?”
22 Therefore I saw that there is nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who can bring him to see what will be after him?
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Ecclesiastes 3:18-22
International Standard Version
18 “As for human beings,” I told myself, “God puts them to the test, that they might see themselves as mere animals.” 19 For what happens to people also happens to animals—a single event happens to them: just as someone dies, so does the other. In fact, they all breathe the same way, so that a human being has no superiority over an animal. All of this is pointless. 20 All of them go to one place: all of them originate from dust, and all of them return to dust.
21 Who knows whether[a] the spirit of human beings ascends, and whether[b] the spirit of animals descends to the earth? 22 I concluded that it is worthwhile for people to find joy in their accomplishments, because that is their inheritance, since who can see what will exist after them?
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- Ecclesiastes 3:21 So LXX. The Heb. lacks whether
- Ecclesiastes 3:21 So LXX. The Heb. lacks whether
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