Ecclesiastes 3:18-22

Amplified Bible

¹⁸ I said to myself regarding the sons of men, “God is surely testing them in order for them to see that [by themselves, without God] they are [only] animals.” ¹⁹ For the [earthly] fate of the sons of men and the fate of animals is the same. As one dies, so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no preeminence or advantage for man [in and of himself] over an animal, for all is vanity. ²⁰ All go to the same place. All came from the dust and all return to the dust. ²¹ Who knows if the spirit of man ascends upward and the spirit of the animal descends downward to the earth? ²² So I have seen that there is nothing better than that a man should be happy in his own works and activities, for that is his portion (share). For who will bring him [back] to see what will happen after he is gone?