Ecclesiastes 3:14-22

¹⁴I know that whatsoever God doth, that will be for ever; to it nothing can be added, and from it there is nothing to be diminished: and God hath so made it, that men should be afraid of him.

¹⁵That which hath been hath long since appeared again; and what is to be hath already been; and God seeketh again that which is sped away.

¹⁶And moreover I have seen under the sun, that in the place of justice, even there was wickedness; and that in the place of righteousness, even there was wickedness.

¹⁷I said in my heart, God will judge the righteous and the wicked; for there is a time for every pursuit; and on account of every deed there will he judge.

¹⁸I said in my heart concerning the speaking of the sons of men, that God might make it clear to them, and that they might see that they by themselves are but beasts.

¹⁹For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even the same thing befalleth them; as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one kind of spirit: so that the preeminence of man above the beast is nought; for all is vanity.

²⁰Every thing goeth unto one place: every thing came from the dust, and every thing returneth to the dust.

²¹Who knoweth the spirit of the sons of man that ascendeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that descendeth downward to the earth?

²²And so did I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion; for who can bring him to look with pleasure on what will be after him?