¹⁸ I also said to myself, “As for humans, God tests them so that they may see that they are like the animals.^{(A) 19} Surely the fate of human beings^(B) is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath^[a]; humans have no advantage over animals. Everything is meaningless. ²⁰ All go to the same place; all come from dust, and to dust all return.^{(C) 21} Who knows if the human spirit rises upward^(D) and if the spirit of the animal goes down into the earth?”

¹⁰ But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower.^{(A) 11} For the sun rises with scorching heat^(B) and withers^(C) the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed.^(D) In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.

¹² Moreover, no one knows when their hour will come:

²⁴ For,