Job 15:31

²⁹ He will no longer be rich; his wealth will not endure. His possessions will not overspread the land.

³⁰ He will not escape from the darkness; the flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away.

Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.

³² It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.

³³ He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree that sheds its blossoms.

This was said to Israel at a particular time, so it is wise to read it together with the surrounding text. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Let him not deceive himself with trust in emptiness, for emptiness will be his reward.
KJV: Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for vanity shall be his recompence.
WEB: Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his reward.
ASV: Let him not trust in vanity, deceiving himself; For vanity shall be his recompense.
DARBY: Let him not trust in vanity: he is deceived, for vanity shall be his recompense;
BLB: Do not let him trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his recompense.

ÅB: La ingen sette sin lit til det som er forgjengelig! Da narrer han seg selv, for bare forgjengelighet blir hans vederlag.
OTB: La ham ikke bedra seg selv
ved å stole på tomhet, for han vil ikke få noe igjen.
B1930: Ei sette han sin lit til det som forgjengelig er! Da narrer han sig selv, for bare forgjengelighet blir hans vederlag.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Isaiah 59:4
No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.
Read in context
Galatians 6:3
If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.
Read in context
Psalms 62:10
Place no trust in extortion, or false hope in stolen goods. If your riches increase, do not set your heart upon them.
Read in context
Galatians 6:7–8
Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.
Read in context
Hosea 8:7
For they sow the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind. There is no standing grain; what sprouts fails to yield flour. Even if it should produce, the foreigners would swallow it up.
Read in context
Jonah 2:8
Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
Read in context
Job 4:8
As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same.
Read in context
Ephesians 5:6
Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things the wrath of God is coming on the sons of disobedience.
Read in context