Ecclesiastes 3:16-22

From Dust to Dust

16 Moreover, 1I saw under the sun that in the place of justice, even 2there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.
17 I said in my heart, 3God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is 4a 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 5beasts.
19 6For 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.
20 All go to one place. All are from 7the dust, and to dust all return.
21 Who knows whether 8the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
22 So I saw that there is 9nothing better than that a man should rejoice in his work, for 10that is his lot. Who can bring him to see 11what will be after him?

Cross References 11

  • 1. Ecclesiastes 4:1
  • 2. Ecclesiastes 5:8; [Ecclesiastes 4:1]
  • 3. Matthew 16:27; 2 Corinthians 5:10; See Romans 2:6-11; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
  • 4. ver. 1; Ecclesiastes 8:6
  • 5. Psalms 49:12, 20; Psalms 73:22
  • 6. See Ecclesiastes 2:14
  • 7. Ecclesiastes 12:7; Genesis 3:19
  • 8. [Ecclesiastes 12:7]
  • 9. See Ecclesiastes 2:24
  • 10. See Ecclesiastes 2:10
  • 11. Ecclesiastes 2:19; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Ecclesiastes 8:7; Ecclesiastes 10:14
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.