'Purpose' in the Bible

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

I said in my heart, God will be judge of the good and of the bad; because a time for every purpose and for every work has been fixed by him.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Because much talk comes from dreams and things of no purpose. But let the fear of God be in you.

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.

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

There are words without number for increasing what is to no purpose, but what is man profited by them?

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

These two have I seen in my life which is to no purpose: a good man coming to his end in his righteousness, and an evil man whose days are long in his evil-doing.

For every purpose there is a time and a decision, because the sorrow of man is great in him.

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.

All this I took to heart, and my heart saw it all: that the upright and the wise and their works are in the hand of God; and men may not be certain if it will be love or hate; all is to no purpose before them.

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.

So put away trouble from your heart, and sorrow from your flesh; because the early years and the best years are to no purpose.

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