'Vain' in the Bible

Let there more work be laid upon the men, that they may labour therein; and let them not regard vain words.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.

And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.

Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain: for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

For it is not a vain thing for you; because it is your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it.

And they gave him threescore and ten pieces of silver out of the house of Baalberith, wherewith Abimelech hired vain and light persons, which followed him.

Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob: and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him.

And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

Now David had said, Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that pertained unto him: and he hath requited me evil for good.

Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!

And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.

Thou sayest, (but they are but vain words,) I have counsel and strength for the war. Now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

And there are gathered unto him vain men, the children of Belial, and have strengthened themselves against Rehoboam the son of Solomon, when Rehoboam was young and tenderhearted, and could not withstand them.

If I be wicked, why then labour I in vain?

For he knoweth vain men: he seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?

For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass's colt.

Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind?

Shall vain words have an end? or what emboldeneth thee that thou answerest?

How then comfort ye me in vain, seeing in your answers there remaineth falsehood?

Behold, all ye yourselves have seen it; why then are ye thus altogether vain?

Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge.

She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;

Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

I have not sat with vain persons, neither will I go in with dissemblers.

An horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver any by his great strength.

Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.

Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery: if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.

Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.

Remember how short my time is: wherefore hast thou made all men in vain?

Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

SAMECH. I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love.

{A Song of degrees for Solomon.} Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

For who knoweth what is good for man in this life, all the days of his vain life which he spendeth as a shadow? for who can tell a man what shall be after him under the sun?

Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.

For the Egyptians shall help in vain, and to no purpose: therefore have I cried concerning this, Their strength is to sit still.

I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.

Then I said, I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought, and in vain: yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my work with my God.

They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them.

Thus saith the LORD, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?

In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the LORD our God is the salvation of Israel.

O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?

And when thou art spoiled, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with crimson, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou rentest thy face with painting, in vain shalt thou make thyself fair; thy lovers will despise thee, they will seek thy life.

The bellows are burned, the lead is consumed of the fire; the founder melteth in vain: for the wicked are not plucked away.

How do ye say, We are wise, and the law of the LORD is with us? Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain.

For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the LORD.

Go up into Gilead, and take balm, O virgin, the daughter of Egypt: in vain shalt thou use many medicines; for thou shalt not be cured.

For, lo, I will raise and cause to come up against Babylon an assembly of great nations from the north country: and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of a mighty expert man; none shall return in vain.

Thus saith the LORD of hosts; The broad walls of Babylon shall be utterly broken, and her high gates shall be burned with fire; and the people shall labour in vain, and the folk in the fire, and they shall be weary.

Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false burdens and causes of banishment.

As for us, our eyes as yet failed for our vain help: in our watching we have watched for a nation that could not save us.

And they shall know that I am the LORD, and that I have not said in vain that I would do this evil unto them.

For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel.

Have ye not seen a vain vision, and have ye not spoken a lying divination, whereas ye say, The LORD saith it; albeit I have not spoken?

For the idols have spoken vanity, and the diviners have seen a lie, and have told false dreams; they comfort in vain: therefore they went their way as a flock, they were troubled, because there was no shepherd.

Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the LORD of hosts?

But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

Yet have I sent the brethren, lest our boasting of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready:

And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.

I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.

Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

For yourselves, brethren, know our entrance in unto you, that it was not in vain:

For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain.

From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision:

But avoid foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and vain.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?