33 Bible Verses about Useless Endeavour

All is to no purpose, said the Preacher, all the ways of man are to no purpose.

All things are to no purpose, says the Preacher, all is to no purpose.

Because the fate of the sons of men and the fate of the beasts is the same. As is the death of one so is the death of the other, and all have one spirit. Man is not higher than the beasts; because all is to no purpose.

But even if a man's life is long and he has joy in all his years, let him keep in mind the dark days, because they will be great in number. Whatever may come is to no purpose.

I have seen all the works which are done under the sun; all is to no purpose, and desire for wind.

And I gave my heart to getting knowledge of wisdom, and of the ways of the foolish. And I saw that this again was desire for wind.

Then I saw all the works which my hands had made, and everything I had been working to do; and I saw that all was to no purpose and desire for wind, and there was no profit under the sun.

So I was hating life, because everything under the sun was evil to me: all is to no purpose and desire for wind.

To the man with whom he is pleased, God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy; but to the sinner he gives the work of getting goods together and storing up wealth, to give to him in whom God has pleasure. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

And I saw that the cause of all the work and of everything which is done well was man's envy of his neighbour. This again is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

There was no end of all the people, of all those whose head he was, but they who come later will have no delight in him. This again is to no purpose and desire for wind.

What the eyes see is better than the wandering of desire. This is to no purpose and a desire for wind.

I said in my heart, I will give you joy for a test; so take your pleasure--but it was to no purpose.

Then said I in my heart: As it comes to the foolish man, so will it come to me; so why have I been wise overmuch? Then I said in my heart: This again is to no purpose.

And who is to say if that man will be wise or foolish? But he will have power over all my work which I have done and in which I have been wise under the sun. This again is to no purpose.

Because there is a man whose work has been done with wisdom, with knowledge, and with an expert hand; but one who has done nothing for it will have it for his heritage. This again is to no purpose and a great evil.

All his days are sorrow, and his work is full of grief. Even in the night his heart has no rest. This again is to no purpose.

It is one who is by himself, without a second, and without son or brother; but there is no end to all his work, and he has never enough of wealth. For whom, then, am I working and keeping myself from pleasure? This again is to no purpose, and a bitter work.

He who has a love for silver never has enough silver, or he who has love for wealth, enough profit. This again is to no purpose.

A man to whom God gives money, wealth, and honour so that he has all his desires but God does not give him the power to have joy of it, and a strange man takes it. This is to no purpose and an evil disease.

Like the cracking of thorns under a pot, so is the laugh of a foolish man; and this again is to no purpose.

And then I saw evil men put to rest, taken even from the holy place; and they went about and were praised in the town because of what they had done. This again is to no purpose.

There is a thing which is to no purpose done on the earth: that there are good men to whom is given the same punishment as those who are evil, and there are evil men who get the reward of the good. I say that this again is to no purpose.

Then I came back, and I saw an example of what is to no purpose under the sun.

For every living thing was put under the power of change, not by its desire, but by him who made it so, in hope

And they went against his rules, and the agreement which he made with their fathers, and his laws which he gave them; they gave themselves up to things without sense or value, and became foolish like the nations round them, of whom the Lord had said, Do not as they do.

He who does work on his land will not be short of bread; but he who goes after foolish men is without sense.

So their days were wasted like a breath, and their years in trouble.

So I have for my heritage months of pain to no purpose, and nights of weariness are given to me.

Let him not put his hope in what is false, falling into error: for he will get deceit as his reward.

Being conscious that you have been made free from that foolish way of life which was your heritage from your fathers, not through a payment of things like silver or gold which come to destruction,

And put out the servant who is of no profit into the outer dark: there will be weeping and cries of sorrow.

But the sons of the kingdom will be put out into the dark, and there will be weeping and cries of pain.