Some Scripture Verses about Vanity

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In the beginning of God's creation of the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was astonishingly empty, and darkness was on the face of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the face of the water. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated between the light and between the darkness. And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night, and it was evening and it was morning, one day. And God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, and let it be a separation between water and water." And God made the expanse and it separated between the water that was below the expanse and the water that was above the expanse, and it was so. And God called the expanse Heaven, and it was evening, and it was morning, a second day. And God said, "Let the water that is beneath the heavens gather into one place, and let the dry land appear," and it was so. And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas, and God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, seed yielding herbs and fruit trees producing fruit according to its kind in which its seed is found, on the earth," and it was so. And the earth gave forth vegetation, seed yielding herbs according to its kind, and trees producing fruit, in which its seed is found, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. And it was evening, and it was morning, a third day. And God said, "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to separate between the day and between the night, and they shall be for signs and for appointed seasons and for days and years. And they shall be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth." And it was so. And God made the two great luminaries: the great luminary to rule the day and the lesser luminary to rule the night, and the stars. And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to shed light upon the earth. And to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and between the darkness, and God saw that it was good. And it was evening, and it was morning, a fourth day. And God said, "Let the waters swarm a swarming of living creatures, and let fowl fly over the earth, across the expanse of the heavens." And God created the great sea monsters, and every living creature that crawls, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged fowl, according to its kind, and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the fowl multiply upon the earth." And it was evening, and it was morning, a fifth day. And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind, cattle and creeping things and the beasts of the earth according to their kind," and it was so. And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and all the creeping things of the ground according to their kind, and God saw that it was good. And God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and they shall rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the heaven and over the animals and over all the earth and over all the creeping things that creep upon the earth." And God created man in His image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the sky and over all the beasts that tread upon the earth. " Genesis 1:1-28

And the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and He breathed into his nostrils the soul of life, and man became a living soul. And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden from the east, and He placed there the man whom He had formed. And the Lord God caused to sprout from the ground every tree pleasant to see and good to eat, and the Tree of Life in the midst of the garden, and the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. And a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it separated and became four heads. The name of one is Pishon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. And the gold of that land is good; there is the crystal and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon; that is the one that encompasses all the land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is the one that flows to the east of Assyria, and the fourth river that is the Euphrates. Now the Lord God took the man, and He placed him in the Garden of Eden to work it and to guard it. And the Lord God commanded man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat. But of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it, for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die." Genesis 2:7-17

When the people saw that Moses was late in coming down from the mountain, the people gathered against Aaron, and they said to him: "Come on! Make us gods that will go before us, because this man Moses, who brought us up from the land of Egypt we don't know what has become of him." Aaron said to them, "Remove the golden earrings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters and bring them [those earrings] to me." And all the people stripped themselves of the golden earrings that were on their ears and brought them to Aaron. He took [them] from their hand[s], fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made it into a molten calf, upon which they said: "These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt!" When Aaron saw [this], he built an altar in front of it, and Aaron proclaimed and said: "Tomorrow shall be a festival to the Lord." On the next day they arose early, offered up burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings, and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and they got up to make merry. And the Lord said to Moses: "Go, descend, for your people that you have brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly. They have quickly turned away from the path that I have commanded them; they have made themselves a molten calf! And they have prostrated themselves before it, slaughtered sacrifices to it, and said: 'These are your gods, O Israel, who have brought you up from the land of Egypt.' " Exodus 32:1-9

And Jeshurun became fat and rebelled; you grew fat, thick and rotund; [Israel] forsook the God Who made them, and spurned the [Mighty] Rock of their salvation. They provoked His zeal with alien worship; they made Him angry with abominations deeds. They sacrificed to demons, which have no power, deities they did not know, new things that only recently came, which your forefathers did not fear. You forgot the [Mighty] Rock Who bore you; you forgot the God Who delivered you. And the Lord saw this and became angry, provoked by His sons and daughters. And He said, "I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be, for they are a generation of changes; they are not [recognizable] as My children whom I have reared. They have provoked My jealousy with a non god, provoked My anger with their vanities. Thus, I will provoke their jealousy with a non people, provoke their anger with a foolish nation. For a fire blazed in My wrath, and burned to the lowest depths. It consumed the land and its produce, setting aflame the foundations of mountains. Deuteronomy 32:15-32

Vanity of vanities, said Koheleth; vanity of vanities, all is vanity. What profit has man in all his toil that he toils under the sun? A generation goes and a generation comes, but the earth endures forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and to its place it yearns and rises there. It goes to the south and goes around to the north; the will goes around and around, and the will returns to its circuits. All the rivers flow into the sea, yet the sea is not full; to the place where the rivers flow, there they repeatedly go. All things are wearisome; no one can utter it; the eye shall not be sated from seeing, nor shall the ear be filled from hearing. What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. There is a thing of which [someone] will say, "See this, it is new." It has already been for ages which were before us. [But] there is no remembrance of former [generations], neither will the later ones that will be have any remembrance among those that will be afterwards. I am Koheleth; I was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I applied my heart to inquire and to search with wisdom all that was done under the heaven. It is a sore task that God has given to the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. I saw all the deeds that were done under the sun, and behold, everything is vanity and frustration. What is crooked will not be able to be straightened, and what is missing will not be able to be counted. I spoke to myself, saying, "I acquired and increased great wisdom, more than all who were before me over Jerusalem"; and my heart saw much wisdom and knowledge. And I applied my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly; I know that this too is a frustration. For in much wisdom is much vexation, and he who increases knowledge, increases pain. Ecclesiastes 1

I said to myself, "Come now, I will mix [wine] with joy and experience pleasure"; and behold, this too was vanity. Of laughter, I said, "[It is] mingled"; and concerning joy, "What does this accomplish?" I searched in my heart to indulge my body with wine, and my heart conducting itself with wisdom and holding onto folly, until I would see which is better for the children of men that they should do under the heavens, the number of the days of their lives. I made myself great works; I built myself houses, and I planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted in them all sorts of fruit trees. I made myself pools of water, to water from them a forest sprouting with trees. I acquired male and female slaves, and I had household members; also I had possession of cattle and flocks, more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. I accumulated for myself also silver and gold, and the treasures of the kings and the provinces; I acquired for myself various types of musical instruments, the delight of the sons of men, wagons and coaches. So I became great, and I increased more than all who were before me in Jerusalem; also my wisdom remained with me. And [of] all that my eyes desired I did not deprive them; I did not deprive my heart of any joy, but my heart rejoiced with all my toil, and this was my portion from all my toil. Then I turned [to look] at all my deeds that my hands had wrought and upon the toil that I had toiled to do, and behold everything is vanity and frustration, and there is no profit under the sun. And I turned to see wisdom and madness and folly, for what is the man who will come after the king, concerning that which they have already done? And I saw that wisdom has an advantage over folly, as the advantage of light over darkness. The wise man has eyes in its beginning, but the fool goes in the darkness, and I too know that one event happens to them all. And I said to myself, "As it happens to the fool, so will it happen to me too, so why then did I become wiser?" And I said to myself that this too is vanity. For there is no remembrance of the wise man even as of the fool forever, seeing that in the coming days, all is forgotten. And how shall the wise die with the fool? So I hated the living, for the deed that was done under the sun grieved me, for everything is vanity and frustration. And I hated all my toil that I toil under the sun, that I should leave it to the man who will be after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or foolish. And he will rule over all my toil that I have toiled and that I have gained wisdom under the sun; this too is vanity. And I turned about to cause my heart to despair concerning all the toil that I toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose toil is with wisdom and with knowledge and with honesty and to a man who did not toil for it he will give it as his portion; this too is vanity and a great evil. For what has a man out of all his toil and the breaking of his heart that he toils under the sun? For all his days are pains and his occupation is vexation; even at night his heart does not rest; this too is vanity. Is it not good for a man that he eat and drink and show himself enjoyment in his toil? This too have I seen that it is from the hand of God. For who will eat and who will hasten [to swallow it] except me? For to a man who is good in His sight, He has given wisdom and knowledge and joy, but to the sinner He has given an occupation to gather and to accumulate, to give to him who is good in God's sight; this too is vanity and frustration. Ecclesiastes 2

For there is a happening for the children of men, and there is a happening for the beasts-and they have one happening-like the death of this one is the death of that one, and all have one spirit, and the superiority of man over beast is nought, for all is vanity. Ecclesiastes 3:19

And I saw all the toil and all the excellence of work, which is a man's envy of his friend; this too is vanity and frustration. The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh. Better is a handful of ease than two handfuls of toil and frustration. And I returned and saw vanity under the sun. There is one, and there is no second; yea, he has neither son nor brother, and there is no end to all his toil; neither is his eye sated from wealth. Now for whom do I toil and deprive my soul of pleasure? This too is vanity and an unhappy affair. Ecclesiastes 4:4-8

There is no end to all the people, to all that were before them; also the last ones will not rejoice with him, for this too is vanity and frustration. Ecclesiastes 4:16

Be not rash with your mouth, and let your heart not be hasty to utter a word before God, for God is in heaven, and you are on the earth; therefore, let your words be few. Ecclestiastes 5:1

For despite many dreams and vanities and many words, only fear God. Ecclesiastes 5:6

If you see oppression of the poor and deprivation of justice and righteousness in the province, wonder not about the matter, for the Highest over the high waits, and there are higher ones over them. And the loftiness of the earth is in everything; even the King is subservient to the field. Whoever loves silver will not be sated with silver, and he who loves a multitude without increase-this too is vanity. With the increase of good, its eaters increase, and what is the advantage to its Master, except seeing [with] His eyes? Ecclestiases 5:7-10

A man whom God gives riches and property and honor, and his soul lacks nothing of all he desires, and God gives him no power to eat of it, but a strange man eats it; this is vanity and a grievous sickness. Should a man beget one hundred [children] and live many years, and he will have much throughout the days of his years, but his soul will not be sated from all the good, neither did he have burial. I said that the stillborn is better than he. For he comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and in darkness his name is covered.Ecclesiastes 6:2-4

Better is what he sees with his eyes than that which goes to sate his appetite; this too is vanity and frustration. What was, its name was already called, and it is known that he is a man, and he will not be able to strive with him who is stronger than he. For there are many things that increase vanity; what will remain for a man? For who knows what is good for man in his lifetime, the number of the days of his life of vanity, that he do them like a shadow, for who will tell man what will be after him under the sun? Ecclesiastes 6:9-12

It is better to hear the rebuke of a wise man than for a man to hear the song of the fools. For as the sound of the thorns under the pot, so is the laughter of the fool, and this too is vanity. For the taunt makes the wise foolish, and it destroys the understanding, which is a gift. The end of a thing is better than its beginning; better the patient in spirit than the haughty in spirit. Be not hasty with your spirit to become wroth, for wrath lies in the bosom of fools. Ecclesiastes 7:5-8

I have seen everything in the days of my vanity; there is a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and there is a wicked man who lives long in his wickedness. Be not overly righteous, and be not overly wise; why should you bring desolation upon yourself? Be not overly wicked, and be not a fool; why should you die before your time? It is good that you should take hold of this, and also from this you shall not withdraw your hand, for he who fears God will discharge himself of them all. It is good that you should take hold of this, and also from this you shall not withdraw your hand, for he who fears God will discharge himself of them all. Ecclesiastes 7:16-18

And so I saw the wicked buried, and they came, and from the place of the Holy One they go away, and they will be forgotten in the city that they did so; this too is vanity. Because the sentence of the deed of evil is not executed swiftly; therefore, the heart of the children of men is encouraged to do evil. For a sinner does evil a hundred [years], and He grants him an extension; but I know too that it will be good for those who fear God because they fear Him. But it will not be well with the wicked, and he will not prolong [his] days, like a shadow, because he does not fear God. There is vanity that is done on the earth, that there are righteous men to whom it happens according to the deed of the wicked, and there are wicked men to whom it happens according to the deed of the righteous; I said that this too is vanity. Ecclesiastes 8:10-14

Enjoy life with the wife whom you love all the days of the life of your vanity, whom He has given you under the sun, all the days of your vanity, for that is your portion in life and in your toil that you toil under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:9

And the light is sweet, and it is good for the eyes to see the sun. For if a man lives many years, let him rejoice in them all, and let him remember the days of darkness, for they will be many; all that befalls [him] is vanity. Rejoice, O youth, in your childhood, and let your heart bring you cheer in the days of your youth, and go in the ways of your heart, and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these God will bring you to judgment. And remove anger from your heart, and take evil away from your flesh, for childhood and youth are vanity. Ecclesiastes 11:7-10

And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God, Who gave it. “Vanity of vanities," said Koheleth; "all is vanity." And more [than this], Koheleth was wise, he also taught knowledge to the people; he listened and sought out, he established many proverbs. Koheleth sought to find words of delight and properly recorded words of truth. The words of the wise are like goads, and like well-fastened nails with large heads, given from one shepherd. And more than they, my son, beware; making many books has no end, and studying much is a weariness of the flesh. The end of the matter, everything having been heard, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the entire man. For every deed God will bring to judgment-for every hidden thing, whether good or bad. Ecclesiastes 12:7-14

So says the Lord: What wrong did your forefathers find in Me, that they distanced themselves from Me, and they went after futility and themselves became futile? Jeremiah 2:5

And you, despoiled one, what can you do that you wear crimson, that you adorn yourself with golden ornaments, that you enlarge your eye with paint? In vain you beautify yourself; lovers despise you, they seek your life. Jeremiah 4:30

Hearken to the word that the Lord spoke about you, O house of Israel. So says the Lord: of the way of the nations you shall not learn, and from the signs of the heaven be not dismayed, for the nations are dismayed from them. For the statutes of the peoples are vanity, for it is but a stock that one cut from the forest, the handiwork of a carpenter with a small axe. With silver and gold he beautifies it, with nails and with sledge hammers they strengthen them so that it does not bend. Like a palm tree they are beaten, and they do not speak; they are carried for they do not step; fear them not for they will do no harm, neither is it in them to do good. There is none like You, O Lord; You are great, and Your name is great with might. Who will not fear You, O King of the nations, for it befits You, for among all the wise men of the nations and among all their kingdom there is none like You. But with one thing they are brutish and foolish, the vanities for which they will be punished are but wood. Silver beaten into plates is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz, the work of a craftsman and the hands of a smith; their raiment is blue and purple, all of them the work of experts. But the Lord God is true; He is a living God and the King of the world; from His anger the earth quakes, and the nations cannot contain His fury. So shall you say to them, "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth, shall perish from the earth and from beneath these heavens. Who made the earth with His strength, He prepared the world by His wisdom, and with His understanding He stretched out the heavens. At the sound of His giving a multitude of waters in the heaven, and He brought up clouds from the end of the earth, He made lightning for the rain, and He took wind out of His treasuries. Every man is brutish without knowledge; every smith is put to shame by his graven image, for his molten images are false, without spirit in them. They are vanity, a work of delusion; at the time of their visitation they shall perish. Jeremiah 10:1-15

But let him that boasts exult in this, that he understands and knows me, for I am the Lord Who practices kindness, justice and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight, says the Lord. Behold, days are coming, says the Lord, when I will punish every circumcised one with his uncircumcision. Egypt, Judah, Edom, the children of Ammon, Moab, and all those cast off to the corners, who dwell in the desert, for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are of uncircumcised hearts. Jeremiah 9:23-25

O Lord, Who are my power and my strength and my refuge in the day of trouble, to You nations will come from the ends of the earth and say, "Only lies have our fathers handed down to us, emptiness in which there is nothing of any avail! Can a man make gods for himself, and they are no gods?" Therefore, behold I let them know; at this time I will let them know My power and My might, and they shall know that My Name is the Lord. Jeremiah 16:19-21

So says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm, and whose heart turns away from the Lord. He shall be like a lone tree in the plain, and will not see when good comes, and will dwell on parched land in the desert, on salt-sodden soil that is not habitable. Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord; the Lord shall be his trust. For he shall be like a tree planted by the water, and by a rivulet spreads its roots, and will not see when heat comes, and its leaves shall be green, and in the year of drought will not be anxious, neither shall it cease from bearing fruit. The heart is deceitful above all things, and when it is sick, who will recognize it? I, the Lord, search the heart, test the kidneys, to give everyone according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds. Jeremiah 17:5-10

He mocks proud mockers but shows favor to the humble and oppressed. The wise inherit honour, but fools get only shame. Proverbs 3:34-5

To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 8:13

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom. The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity. Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death. The righteousness of the blameless makes their paths straight, but the wicked are brought down by their own wickedness. The righteousness of the upright delivers them, but the unfaithful are trapped by evil desires. Hopes placed in mortals die with them; all the promise of their power comes to nothing. The righteous person is rescued from trouble, and it falls on the wicked instead. With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors, but through knowledge the righteous escape. When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. Through the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, but by the mouth of the wicked it is destroyed. Whoever derides their neighbor has no sense, but the one who has understanding holds their tongue. Proverbs 11:2-12

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the reply of the tongue is from the LORD. All a man’s ways are pure in his own eyes, but his motives are weighed out by the LORD. Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved. The LORD has made everything for His purpose— even the wicked for the day of disaster. Everyone who is proud in heart is detestable to the LORD; be assured that he will not go unpunished. By loving devotion and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the LORD one turns aside from evil. When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even the man’s enemies live at peace with him. Better a little with righteousness than great gain with injustice. A man’s heart plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps. A divine verdict is on the lips of a king; his mouth must not betray justice. Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern. Wicked behaviour is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness. Righteous  lips are a king’s delight, and he who speaks honestly is beloved. The wrath of a king is a messenger of death, but a wise man will pacify it. When a king’s face brightens, there is life; his favor is like a rain cloud in spring. How much better to acquire wisdom than gold! To gain understanding is more desirable than silver. The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be lowly in spirit among the humble than to divide the spoil with the proud. Whoever heeds instruction will find success, and blessed is he who trusts in the LORD. The wise in heart are called discerning, and pleasant speech promotes instruction. Understanding is a fountain of life to its possessor, but the discipline of fools is folly. The heart of the wise man instructs his mouth and adds persuasiveness to his lips. Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones. There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death. A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger drives him onward. A worthless man digs up evil, and his speechb is like a scorching fire. A perverse man spreads dissension, and a gossip divides close friends. A violent man entices his neighbour and leads him down a path that is not good. He who winks his eye devises perversity; he who purses his lips is bent on evil. Grey hair is a crown of glory;it is attained along the path of righteousness. He who is slow to anger is better than a warrior, and he who controls his temper is greater than one who captures a city. The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD. Proverbs 16

The light of the righteous shines brightly, but the lamp of the wicked is snuffed out. Where there is strife, there is pride, but wisdom is found in those who take advice. Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Whoever scorns instruction will pay for it, but whoever respects a command is rewarded. The teaching of the wise is a fountain of life, turning a person from the snares of death. Good judgment wins favor, but the way of the unfaithful leads to their destruction. Proverbs 13:9-15

Whoever loves a quarrel loves sin; whoever builds a high gate invites destruction. One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble. Proverbs 17:19-20

The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale. Before a downfall the heart is haughty, but humility comes before honor. Proverbs 18:11-12

Haughty eyes and a proud heart— the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin. Proverbs 21:4

Do not exalt yourself in the king’s presence, and do not claim a place among his great men; it is better for him to say to you, “Come up here,” than for him to humiliate you before his nobles. What you have seen with your eyes. proverbs 25:6-7

It is not good to eat too much honey, nor is it honorable to search out matters that are too deep. Proverbs 25:27

Let someone else praise you, and not your own mouth; an outsider, and not your own lips. Proverbs 27:2

Pride brings a person low, but the lowly in spirit gain honor. Proverbs 29:23

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Proverbs 31:30

O Lord, why do You stand from afar? [Why do] You hide in times of distress? With the haughtiness of the wicked man, he pursues the poor man. They are caught in the plots that they have devised. For the wicked man boasts about the desire of his soul, and the robber congratulates himself for having blasphemed the Lord. A wicked man at the height of his anger; "He will not seek; there is no God," [say] all his thoughts. His ways prosper at all times; Your judgments are far removed from him. All his adversaries-he blows at them. He says to himself, "I will not fall; for all generations I will not be in adversity." His mouth is full of oaths and deceits and guile; under his tongue is mischief and iniquity. He sits in the lurking-places of the villages; in hidden places he slays the innocent; his eyes spy on Your army. He lurks in a hidden place; like a lion in his den, he lurks to seize a poor man; he seizes a poor man when he draws his net. He crouches, he bows down, and an army of broken people shall fall by his signals. He says in his heart, "God has forgotten; He has hidden His face, He never sees." Arise, O Lord God, lift up Your hand; do not forget the humble. Why did a wicked man blaspheme God? He said in his heart that You do not seek. You saw, for You look at mischief and provocation to give with Your power; upon You Your army leaves [its burden]; You would help the orphan. Break the arm of the wicked, but as for the evil one-You will seek his wickedness and not find [it]. The Lord is King forever and ever; nations perish from His land. You shall hear the desire of the humble, O Lord; may You prepare their heart, may Your ear hearken. To judge the orphan and the crushed one, that he no longer continue to break the weak from the earth. Psalm 10

Save, O Lord, for the pious are gone, for the faithful have vanished from the sons of men. One speaks to another with falseness, smooth talk; they speak with a double heart. May the Lord cut off all smooth lips, the tongue that speaks great things. Who said, "With our tongue we will overpower; our lips are with us. Who is lord over us?" Because of the plunder of the poor, because of the cry of the needy, Now I will rise, the Lord shall say; I will grant them salvation, He shall speak concerning them. The sayings of the Lord are pure sayings, like silver refined, exposed to the earth, clarified sevenfold. You, O Lord, shall guard them; You shall guard him from this generation forever. Wicked men walk on all sides when the [one who appears] basest to the sons of men is elevated. Psalm 12

He made darkness His hiding-place about Him as His booth; the darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. Psalm 18:12

He leads the humble with just rules and He teaches the humble His way. All the Lord's ways are kindness and truth for those who keep His covenant and His testimonies. For Your name's sake, O Lord, You shall forgive my iniquity, for it is great. Who is this man who fears the Lord? He will guide him on the road that he chooses. His soul shall abide in prosperity, and his seed shall inherit the earth. The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and His covenant is to let them know [it]. Psalm 24:9-14

In Your hand I entrust my spirit; You have redeemed me, O Lord, God of truth. I hated those who await worthless vanities, but I hoped for the Lord. I will exult and rejoice in Your kindness, for You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul. Psalm 31:6-8

O Lord, let me know my end, and the measure of my days, what it is; I would know when I will cease. Behold You made my days as handbreadths, and my old age is as nought before You; surely all vanity is in every man; this is his condition forever. Man walks but in darkness; all that they stir is but vanity; he gathers yet he knows not who will bring them in. And now, what have I hoped, O Lord? My hope to You is; Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the reproach of an ignoble man. I have become mute; I will not open my mouth because You have done it. Remove Your affliction from me; from the fear of Your hand I perish. With rebukes for iniquity You have chastised man; You have caused his flesh to decay as by a moth. Surely all man is vanity forever. Hear my prayer, O Lord, and hearken to my cry. Be not silent to my tears, for I am a stranger with You, a dweller as all my forefathers. Turn away from me that I may recover, before I go and am here no longer." Psalm 39:5-14

A song of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, to the pure of heart. But as for me, my feet had almost turned away, in an instant my steps would have been swept away. For I envied the perverse; I would see the tranquility of the wicked. For there are no fetters to their death, and their health is sound. In the toil of mortal man they are not, neither are they plagued with mankind. Therefore, they wear pride as a necklace; the robbery that they commit envelops their hips. Therefore, they wear pride as a necklace; the robbery that they commit envelops their hips. Because of their fat, their eyes bulge; they surpassed the imaginings of their heart. They consume, and speak wickedly about oppression; they speak about the Most High. They have set their mouth against Heaven, and their tongue walks through the earth. Therefore, His people will return here, and the waters of the full [stream] are drain water to them. And they say, "How does God know, and is there knowledge in the Most High?" Behold these are wicked, yet they are tranquil in the world and have increased wealth. But for nought I cleansed my heart and bathed my hands with cleanliness. And I was plagued all the days, and my chastisement was every morning. If I said, "I shall tell it as it is," behold I have made the generation of Your children into traitors. And when I ponder to know this, it is iniquity in my eyes. Until I came to the sanctuaries of God, and I understood their end. Only in slippery places do You set them; You cast them down to ruin. How they became desolate instantly! They were completely consumed by terrors. As a dream without awakening; O Lord, in the city You will despise their form. For my heart was in ferment, and my mind was on edge. But I was brutish and I did not know; I was [as] a beast with You. Yet I was constantly with You; You grasped my right hand. With Your counsel You led me, and after[wards], You took me [for] glory. For whom do I have in heaven, and I desired no one with You on earth. My flesh and my heart yearn; God is the rock of my heart and my portion forever. For behold, those who have distanced themselves from You will perish; You have cut off anyone who strays from You. But as for me-God's nearness is my good; I have placed my refuge in the Lord God, to tell all Your mission. Psalm 73

The Lord knows man's thoughts that they are vanity. Psalm 94:11

Praiseworthy are those whose way is perfect, who walk with the law of the Lord. Praiseworthy are those who keep His testimonies; who seek Him wholeheartedly. Not only have they committed no injustice, they walked in His ways. You commanded Your precepts, to keep diligently. My prayers are that my ways should be established, to keep Your statutes. Then I shall not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. I shall thank You with an upright heart when I learn the judgments of Your righteousness. Psalm 119:1-7

Extend my heart to Your testimonies and not to monetary gain. Turn away my eyes from seeing vanity; with Your ways sustain me. Psalm 119:36-37

O Lord, what is man that You should know him, the son of man, that You should consider him? Man is like a breath; his days are as a fleeting shadow. Psalm 119:3-4

Hallelujah! Sing to the Lord a new song; His praise is in the congregation of the pious. Israel will rejoice with its Maker; the children of Zion will exult with their King. They will praise His name in dance; with timbrel and harp they will play music to Him. For the Lord takes delight in His people; He lauds the humble with salvation. The pious will exult in glory; they will sing praises on their beds. Lofty praises of God in their throats and a double-edged sword in their hands, To wreak vengeance upon the nations, contentions upon the kingdoms. To bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron. To execute upon them a written judgment; that will be splendor to all His pious ones. Hallelujah! Psalm 149

And the Lord said to Samuel, "Look not upon his appearance, or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him, for it is not as man sees, (what is visible) to the eyes, while the Lord sees into the heart." 1 Samuel 16:7

The king raised his voice and said, "Is this not the great Babylon, which I built for a royal palace with the strength of my power and for the honor of my glory?" The word was still in the king's mouth, [when] a voice fell from heaven, [which said] "To you they said 'O King Nebuchadnezzar, your kingdom has turned away from you. From man they will banish you, and your dwelling will be with the beasts of the field; like cattle, they will feed you grass, and seven periods will pass over you, until you know that the Most High rules over the kingdom of man, and to whom He wishes, He gives it."' At that time, the matter was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar, and he was banished from man, he ate grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of the heavens, until his hair grew like [the feathers of] eagles and his nails like [the claws of] birds. And at the end of the days, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my understanding was restored to me, and I blessed the Most High, and I praised and glorified Him Who lives to Eternity, Whose dominion is an eternal dominion, and Whose kingdom is with every generation. And all the inhabitants of the earth are reckoned as nothing, and according to His will, He foes with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth, and no one can stop His hand or say to Him, "What have You done?" At that time, my understanding was restored to me, and I returned to the glory of my kingdom, and my splendor was restored to me; and my leaders and my dignitaries were seeking me, and I was established upon my kingship and excessive greatness was added to me. Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, Whose works are all true and Whose ways are just and Who can humble those who walk with arrogance. Daniel 4:27-34