46 Bible Verses about emptiness

For this is what the Lord says, the one who created the sky -- he is the true God, the one who formed the earth and made it; he established it, he did not create it without order, he formed it to be inhabited -- "I am the Lord, I have no peer.

For recognition of the Lord's sovereign majesty will fill the earth just as the waters fill up the sea.

Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

"I looked at the land and saw that it was an empty wasteland. I looked up at the sky, and its light had vanished.

I left here full, but the Lord has caused me to return empty-handed. Why do you call me 'Naomi,' seeing that the Lord has opposed me, and the Sovereign One has caused me to suffer?"

Surely it is an empty cry -- God does not hear it; the Almighty does not take notice of it.

So Job opens his mouth to no purpose; without knowledge he multiplies words."

We have heard about Moab's pride, their great arrogance, their boasting, pride, and excess. But their boastful claims are empty!

Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting, that you would dare to rebel against me?

Your claim to have a strategy and military strength is just empty talk. In whom are you trusting that you would dare to rebel against me?

No one is concerned about justice; no one sets forth his case truthfully. They depend on false words and tell lies; they conceive of oppression and give birth to sin.

Let nobody deceive you with empty words, for because of these things God's wrath comes on the sons of disobedience.

For by speaking high-sounding but empty words they are able to entice, with fleshly desires and with debauchery, people who have just escaped from those who reside in error.

Why pay money for something that will not nourish you? Why spend your hard-earned money on something that will not satisfy? Listen carefully to me and eat what is nourishing! Enjoy fine food!

A song of ascents, by Solomon. If the Lord does not build a house, then those who build it work in vain. If the Lord does not guard a city, then the watchman stands guard in vain. It is vain for you to rise early, come home late, and work so hard for your food. Yes, he can provide for those whom he loves even when they sleep.

Here then is what the Lord who rules over all says: 'Think carefully about what you are doing. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but are never filled. You drink, but are still thirsty. You put on clothes, but are not warm. Those who earn wages end up with holes in their money bags.'"

that the elation of the wicked is brief, the joy of the godless lasts but a moment.

The one who loves pleasure will be a poor person; whoever loves wine and anointing oil will not be rich.

Then he said to them, "Watch out and guard yourself from all types of greed, because one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Those who long to be rich, however, stumble into temptation and a trap and many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils. Some people in reaching for it have strayed from the faith and stabbed themselves with many pains.

Then he said, 'I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to myself, "You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!"' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'

Such is the destiny of all who forget God; the hope of the godless perishes, whose trust is in something futile, whose security is a spider's web. He leans against his house but it does not hold up, he takes hold of it but it does not stand.

Let him not trust in what is worthless, deceiving himself; for worthlessness will be his reward.

Surely one sees that even wise people die; fools and spiritually insensitive people all pass away and leave their wealth to others.

Wealth does not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from mortal danger.

For we have brought nothing into this world and so we cannot take a single thing out either.

When you cry out for help, let your idols help you! The wind blows them all away, a breeze carries them away. But the one who looks to me for help will inherit the land and will have access to my holy mountain."

Go and cry for help to the gods you have chosen! Let them deliver you from trouble!"

With the rest of it he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to it and worships it. He prays to it, saying, 'Rescue me, for you are my god!' They do not comprehend or understand, for their eyes are blind and cannot see; their minds do not discern.

Gather together and come! Approach together, you refugees from the nations! Those who carry wooden idols know nothing, those who pray to a god that cannot deliver.

They put it on their shoulder and carry it; they put it in its place and it just stands there; it does not move from its place. Even when someone cries out to it, it does not reply; it does not deliver him from his distress.

Then those living in the towns of Judah and in Jerusalem will go and cry out for help to the gods to whom they have been sacrificing. However, those gods will by no means be able to save them when disaster strikes them.

"Men, why are you doing these things? We too are men, with human natures just like you! We are proclaiming the good news to you, so that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and everything that is in them.

I will strike you brutally and destroy you because of your sin. You will eat, but not be satisfied. Even if you have the strength to overtake some prey, you will not be able to carry it away; if you do happen to carry away something, I will deliver it over to the sword.

"'If, however, you do not obey me and keep all these commandments -- if you reject my statutes and abhor my regulations so that you do not keep all my commandments and you break my covenant -- I for my part will do this to you: I will inflict horror on you, consumption and fever, which diminish eyesight and drain away the vitality of life. You will sow your seed in vain because your enemies will eat it.

Despite all this, they continued to sin, and did not trust him to do amazing things. So he caused them to die unsatisfied and filled with terror.

They will eat, but not be satisfied; they will engage in prostitution, but not increase in numbers; because they have abandoned the Lord by pursuing other gods.

"Moreover, the Lord who rules over all says: 'Pay close attention to these things also. Go up to the hill country and bring back timber to build the temple. Then I will be pleased and honored,' says the Lord. You expected a large harvest, but instead there was little, and when you brought it home it disappeared right away. Why?' asks the Lord who rules over all. 'Because my temple remains in ruins, thanks to each of you favoring his own house!

You know that from your empty way of life inherited from your ancestors you were ransomed -- not by perishable things like silver or gold,

I am the Lord, your God, the one who brought you out of the land of Egypt. Open your mouth wide and I will fill it!'

For we have all received from his fullness one gracious gift after another.

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come so that they may have life, and may have it abundantly.

until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God -- a mature person, attaining to the measure of Christ's full stature.

and you have been filled in him, who is the head over every ruler and authority.

but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that although he was rich, he became poor for your sakes, so that you by his poverty could become rich.