3:16 I saw something else on earth: 1
In the place of justice, there was wickedness,
and in the place of fairness, 2 there was wickedness.
3:17 I thought to myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked;
for there is an appropriate time for every activity,
and there is a time of judgment 3 for every deed.
3:18 I also thought to myself, “It is 4 for the sake of people, 5
so God can clearly 6 show 7 them that they are like animals.
3:19 For the fate of humans 8 and the fate of animals are the same:
As one dies, so dies the other; both have the same breath.
There is no advantage for humans over animals,
for both are fleeting.
3:20 Both go to the same place,
both come from the dust,
and to dust both return.
3:21 Who really knows if the human spirit 9 ascends upward,
and the animal’s spirit descends into the earth?
3:22 So I perceived there is nothing better than for people 10 to enjoy their work, 11
because that is their 12 reward;
for who can show them what the future holds? 13