'Vain' in the Bible
'Thou dost not take up the name of Jehovah thy God for a vain thing, for Jehovah acquitteth not him who taketh up His name for a vain thing.
'Thou dost not lift up a vain report; thou dost not put thy hand with a wicked man to be a violent witness.
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;
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.
'Thou dost not take up the Name of Jehovah thy God for a vain thing, for Jehovah doth not acquit him who taketh up His Name for a vain thing.
for it is not a vain thing for you, for it is your life, and by this thing ye prolong days on the ground whither ye are passing over the Jordan to possess it.'
and they give to him seventy silverings out of the house of Baal-Berith, and Abimelech hireth with them men, vain and unstable, and they go after him;
And Jephthah fleeth from the face of his brethren, and dwelleth in the land of Tob; and vain men gather themselves together unto Jephthah, and they go out with him.
and ye do not turn aside after the vain things which do not profit nor deliver, for they are vain,
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;
And David turneth back to bless his house, and Michal daughter of Saul goeth out to meet David, and saith, 'How honourable to-day was the king of Israel, who was uncovered to-day before the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain ones is openly uncovered!'
or I had done against my soul a vain thing, and no matter is hid from the king, and thou -- thou dost station thyself over-against.'
and reject His statutes and His covenant that He made with their fathers, and His testimonies that He testified against them, and go after the vain thing, and become vain, and after the nations that are round about them, of whom Jehovah commanded them not to do like them;
'And there are gathered unto him vain men, sons of worthlessness, and they strengthen themselves against Rehoboam son of Solomon, and Rehoboam was a youth, and tender of heart, and hath not strengthened himself against them.
Doth a wise man answer with vain knowledge? And fill with an east wind his belly?
Lo, ye -- all of you -- have seen, And why is this -- ye are altogether vain?
Her young ones it hath hardened without her, In vain is her labour without fear.
Sons of men! till when is my glory for shame? Ye love a vain thing, ye seek a lie. Selah.
I have not sat with vain men, And with dissemblers I enter not.
Only, in an image doth each walk habitually, Only, in vain, they are disquieted, He heapeth up and knoweth not who gathereth them.
Give to us help from adversity, And vain is the deliverance of man.
Trust not in oppression, And in robbery become not vain, Wealth -- when it increaseth -- set not the heart.
Only -- a vain thing! I have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
Remember, I pray Thee, what is life-time? Wherefore in vain hast Thou created All the sons of men?
Give to us help from adversity, And vain is the salvation of man.
A Song of the Ascents, by Solomon. If Jehovah doth not build the house, In vain have its builders laboured at it, If Jehovah doth not watch a city, In vain hath a watchman waked.
Vain for you who are rising early, Who delay sitting, eating the bread of griefs, So He giveth to His beloved one sleep.
Surely in vain is the net spread out before the eyes of any bird.
A vain man through pride causeth debate, And with the counselled is wisdom.
The grace is false, and the beauty is vain, A woman fearing Jehovah, she may boast herself.
And I have turned, and I see a vain thing under the sun:
Add not to bring in a vain present, Incense -- an abomination it is to Me, New moon, and sabbath, calling of convocation! Rendure not iniquity -- and a restraint!
Yea, Egyptians are vanity, and in vain do help, Therefore I have cried concerning this: 'Their strength is to sit still.'
Not in secret have I spoken, in a dark place of the earth, I have not said to the seed of Jacob, In vain seek ye Me, I am Jehovah, speaking righteousness, Declaring uprightness.
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.
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.
Thus said Jehovah: What -- have your fathers found in Me perversity, That they have gone far off from Me, And go after the vanity, and become vain,
In vain I have smitten your sons, Instruction they have not accepted, Devoured hath your sword your prophets, As a destroying lion.
Surely in vain from the heights, The multitude of mountains -- Surely in Jehovah our God is the salvation of Israel.
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.
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.
But My people have forgotten Me, to a vain thing they make perfume, And they cause them to stumble in their ways -- paths of old, To walk in paths -- a way not raised up,
Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
Go up to Gilead, and take balm, O virgin daughter of Egypt, In vain thou hast multiplied medicines, Healing there is none for thee.
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!
While we exist -- consumed are our eyes for our vain help, In our watch-tower we have watched for a nation that saveth not.
For there is no more any vain vision, and flattering divination, In the midst of the house of Israel.
A vain vision have ye not seen, And a lying divination spoken, When ye say: An affirmation of Jehovah, And I have not spoken?
In the seeing for thee of a vain thing, In the divining for thee of a lie, To put thee on the necks of the wounded of the wicked, whose day hath come, In the time of the iniquity of the end.
And its prophets have daubed for them with chalk, Seeing a vain thing, and divining for them a lie, Saying, 'Thus said the Lord Jehovah:' And Jehovah hath not spoken.
Thus said the Lord Jehovah: And -- I have destroyed idols, And caused vain things to cease from Noph, And a prince of the land of Egypt there is no more, And I give fear in the land of Egypt.
Ye have said, 'A vain thing to serve God! And what gain when we kept His charge? And when we have gone in black, Because of Jehovah of Hosts?
And -- praying -- ye may not use vain repetitions like the nations, for they think that in their much speaking they shall be heard,
and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings -- commands of men.'
and in vain do they worship Me, teaching teachings, commands of men;
who, through the mouth of David thy servant, did say, Why did nations rage, and peoples meditate vain things?
because, having known God they did not glorify Him as God, nor gave thanks, but were made vain in their reasonings, and their unintelligent heart was darkened,
for of God it is a ministrant to thee for good; and if that which is evil thou mayest do, be fearing, for not in vain doth it bear the sword; for of God it is a ministrant, an avenger for wrath to him who is doing that which is evil.
and again, 'The Lord doth know the reasonings of the wise, that they are vain.'
through which also ye are being saved, in what words I proclaimed good news to you, if ye hold fast, except ye did believe in vain,
and by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace that is towards me came not in vain, but more abundantly than they all did I labour, yet not I, but the grace of God that is with me;
and if Christ hath not risen, vain is your faith, ye are yet in your sins;
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.
And working together also we call upon you that ye receive not in vain the grace of God --
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,
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;
I do not make void the grace of God, for if righteousness be through law -- then Christ died in vain.
so many things did ye suffer in vain! if, indeed, even in vain.
I am afraid of you, lest in vain I did labour toward you.
Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience,
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;
See that no one shall be carrying you away as spoil through the philosophy and vain deceit, according to the deliverance of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ,
For yourselves have known, brethren, our entrance in unto you, that it did not become vain,
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.
from which certain, having swerved, did turn aside to vain discourse,
and the profane vain talkings stand aloof from, for to more impiety they will advance,
and foolish questions, and genealogies, and contentions, and strivings about law, stand away from -- for they are unprofitable and vain.
If any one doth think to be religious among you, not bridling his tongue, but deceiving his heart, of this one vain is the religion;
And dost thou wish to know, O vain man, that the faith apart from the works is dead?