33 Bible Verses about Useless Endeavour

Vanity of vanities, said the Preacher, Vanity of vanities: the whole is vanity.

Vanity of vanities, said the preacher, the whole is vanity.

For an event is to the sons of man, and an event is to the beasts, even one event is to them; as the death of this, so is the death of that; and one spirit is to all, and the advantage of man above the beast is nothing, for the whole is vanity.

But, if man liveth many years, In all of them let him rejoice, And remember the days of darkness, For they are many! all that is coming is vanity.

I have seen all the works that have been done under the sun, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit!

And I give my heart to know wisdom, and to know madness and folly: I have known that even this is vexation of spirit;

and I have looked on all my works that my hands have done, and on the labour that I have laboured to do, and lo, the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit, and there is no advantage under the sun!

And I have hated life, for sad to me is the work that hath been done under the sun, for the whole is vanity and vexation of spirit.

For to a man who is good before Him, He hath given wisdom, and knowledge, and joy; and to a sinner He hath given travail, to gather and to heap up, to give to the good before God. Even this is vanity and vexation of spirit.

And I have seen all the labour, and all the benefit of the work, because for it a man is the envy of his neighbour. Even this is vanity and vexation of spirit.

there is no end to all the people, to all who were before them; also, the latter rejoice not in him. Surely this also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

Better is the sight of the eyes than the going of the soul. This also is vanity and vexation of spirit.

I said in my heart, 'Pray, come, I try thee with mirth, and look thou on gladness;' and lo, even it is vanity.

and I said in my heart, 'As it happeneth with the fool, it happeneth also with me, and why am I then more wise?' And I spake in my heart, that also this is vanity:

And who knoweth whether he is wise or foolish? yet he doth rule over all my labour that I have laboured at, and that I have done wisely under the sun! this also is vanity.

For there is a man whose labour is in wisdom, and in knowledge, and in equity, and to a man who hath not laboured therein he giveth it -- his portion! Even this is vanity and a great evil.

For all his days are sorrows, and his travail sadness; even at night his heart hath not lain down; this also is vanity.

There is one, and there is not a second; even son or brother he hath not, and there is no end to all his labour! His eye also is not satisfied with riches, and he saith not, 'For whom am I labouring and bereaving my soul of good?' This also is vanity, it is a sad travail.

Whoso is loving silver is not satisfied with silver, nor he who is in love with stores with increase. Even this is vanity.

A man to whom God giveth wealth, and riches, and honour, and there is no lack to his soul of all that he desireth, and God giveth him not power to eat of it, but a stranger eateth it; this is vanity, and it is an evil disease.

For as the noise of thorns under the pot, So is the laughter of a fool, even this is vanity.

And so I have seen the wicked buried, and they went in, even from the Holy Place they go, and they are forgotten in the city whether they had so done. This also is vanity.

There is a vanity that hath been done upon the earth, that there are righteous ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the wicked, and there are wicked ones unto whom it is coming according to the work of the righteous. I have said that this also is vanity.

And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:

for to vanity was the creation made subject -- not of its will, but because of Him who did subject it -- in hope,

and reject His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and go after the vain thing, and become vain, and after the nations that are round about them, of whom Jehovah commanded them not to do like them;

Whoso is tilling the ground is satisfied with bread, And whoso is pursuing vanities is lacking heart,

And He consumeth in vanity their days, And their years in trouble.

So I have been caused to inherit months of vanity, And nights of misery they numbered to me.

Let him not put credence in vanity, He hath been deceived, For vanity is his recompence.

having known that, not with corruptible things -- silver or gold -- were ye redeemed from your foolish behaviour delivered by fathers,

and the unprofitable servant cast ye forth to the outer darkness; there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.

but the sons of the reign shall be cast forth to the outer darkness -- there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of the teeth.'