30 Bible Verses about Useless Labour

I -- I am become wicked; why is this? In vain I labour.

In all your dwellings the cities are laid waste, And the high places are desolate, So that waste and desolate are your altars, And broken and ceased have your idols, And cut down have been your images, And blotted out have been your works.

Lo, is it not from Jehovah of Hosts And peoples are fatigued for fire, And nations for vanity are weary?

And David said, 'Only, in vain I have kept all that this one hath in the wilderness, and nothing hath been looked after of all that he hath, and he turneth back to me evil for good;

While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation that saveth not.

and consumed hath been your strength in vain, and your land doth not give her produce, and the tree of the land doth not give its fruit.

Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, the wall of Babylon -- The broad one -- is utterly made bare, And her high gates with fire are burnt, And peoples labour in vain, And nations in fire, and have been weary!

Vain for you who are rising early, Who delay sitting, eating the bread of griefs, So He giveth to His beloved one sleep.

I also do this to you, and I have appointed over you trouble, the consumption, and the burning fever, consuming eyes, and causing pain of soul; and your seed in vain ye have sowed, and your enemies have eaten it;

Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.

The bellows have been burnt, By fire hath the lead been consumed, In vain hath a refiner refined, And the wicked have not been drawn away.

And thou, O spoiled one, what dost thou? For thou puttest on scarlet, For thou adornest thyself with ornaments of gold. For thou rendest with pain thine eyes, In vain thou dost make thyself fair, Kicked against thee have doting ones, Thy life they do seek.

I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.

And I said, 'For a vain thing I laboured, For emptiness and vanity my power I consumed, But my judgment is with Jehovah, And my wage with my God.

Be obedient to those leading you, and be subject, for these do watch for your souls, as about to give account, that with joy they may do this, and not sighing, for this is unprofitable to you.

Yea, Egyptians are vanity, and in vain do help, Therefore I have cried concerning this: 'Their strength is to sit still.'

In vain I have smitten your sons, Instruction they have not accepted, Devoured hath your sword your prophets, As a destroying lion.

and any one of you may say to them, 'Depart ye in peace, be warmed, and be filled,' and may not give to them the things needful for the body, what is the profit?

and he hath separated to Jehovah the days of his separation, and he hath brought in a lamb, a son of a year, for a guilt-offering, and the former days are fallen, for his separation hath been defiled.

And they have comforted you, for ye see their way and their doings, and ye have known that not for nought have I done all that which I have done in her -- an affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.'

And they have known that I am Jehovah, Not for nought have I spoken to do to them this evil.

and I went up by revelation, and did submit to them the good news that I preach among the nations, and privately to those esteemed, lest in vain I might run or did run;

because of this also, I, no longer forbearing, did send to know your faith, lest he who is tempting did tempt you, and in vain might be our labour.

so many things did ye suffer in vain! if, indeed, even in vain.

They labour not for a vain thing, Nor do they bring forth for trouble, For the seed of the blessed of Jehovah are they, And their offspring with them.

and I sent the brethren, that our boasting on your behalf may not be made vain in this respect; that, according as I said, ye may be ready,

the word of life holding forth, for rejoicing to me in regard to a day of Christ, that not in vain did I run, nor in vain did I labour;

I, therefore, thus run, not as uncertainly, thus I fight, as not beating air;

so that, my brethren beloved, become ye stedfast, unmovable, abounding in the work of the Lord at all times, knowing that your labour is not vain in the Lord.

For yourselves have known, brethren, our entrance in unto you, that it did not become vain,