¹⁸ I said in my heart, “Concerning the condition of the sons of men, God tests them, that they may see that they themselves are like animals.” ^19 (A)For what happens to the sons of men also happens to animals; one thing befalls them: as one dies, so dies the other. Surely, they all have one breath; man has no advantage over animals, for all is vanity. ²⁰ All go to one place: ^(B)all are from the dust, and all return to dust. ^21 (C)Who^[a] knows the spirit of the sons of men, which goes upward, and the spirit of the animal, which goes down to the earth?

¹⁰ but the rich in his humiliation, because ^(A)as a flower of the field he will pass away. ¹¹ For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.