33 Bible Verses about Useless Endeavour

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher,
“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.”

“Vanity of vanities,” says the Preacher, “all is vanity!”

For the fate of the sons of men and the fate of beasts is the same. As one dies so dies the other; indeed, they all have the same breath and there is no advantage for man over beast, for all is vanity.

Indeed, if a man should live many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many. Everything that is to come will be futility.

I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.

And I set my mind to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I realized that this also is striving after wind.

Thus I considered all my activities which my hands had done and the labor which I had exerted, and behold all was vanity and striving after wind and there was no profit under the sun.

So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun was grievous to me; because everything is futility and striving after wind.

For to a person who is good in His sight He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, while to the sinner He has given the task of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who is good in God’s sight. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind.

There is no end to all the people, to all who were before them, and even the ones who will come later will not be happy with him, for this too is vanity and striving after wind.

What the eyes see is better than what the soul desires. This too is futility and a striving after wind.

I said to myself, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure. So enjoy yourself.” And behold, it too was futility.

Then I said to myself, “As is the fate of the fool, it will also befall me. Why then have I been extremely wise?” So I said to myself, “This too is vanity.”

And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the fruit of my labor for which I have labored by acting wisely under the sun. This too is vanity.

When there is a man who has labored with wisdom, knowledge and skill, then he gives his legacy to one who has not labored with them. This too is vanity and a great evil.

Because all his days his task is painful and grievous; even at night his mind does not rest. This too is vanity.

There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task.

He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity.

a man to whom God has given riches and wealth and honor so that his soul lacks nothing of all that he desires; yet God has not empowered him to eat from them, for a foreigner enjoys them. This is vanity and a severe affliction.

For as the crackling of thorn bushes under a pot,
So is the laughter of the fool;
And this too is futility.

So then, I have seen the wicked buried, those who used to go in and out from the holy place, and they are soon forgotten in the city where they did thus. This too is futility.

There is futility which is done on the earth, that is, there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the wicked. On the other hand, there are evil men to whom it happens according to the deeds of the righteous. I say that this too is futility.

Then I looked again at vanity under the sun.

For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope

They rejected His statutes and His covenant which He made with their fathers and His warnings with which He warned them. And they followed vanity and became vain, and went after the nations which surrounded them, concerning which the Lord had commanded them not to do like them.

He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who pursues worthless things lacks sense.

So He brought their days to an end in futility
And their years in sudden terror.

So am I allotted months of vanity,
And nights of trouble are appointed me.

“Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself;
For emptiness will be his reward.

knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,

Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”