She closed her eyes tightly in a vain attempt to hold back the tears.

她紧闭双眼，却无法忍住眼泪。

《牛津词典》

The drafting committee worked through the night in a vain attempt to finish on schedule.

起草委员会徒劳地通宵工作想按期完成工作。

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

Love yourself: I don't mean this in a vain sense.

爱自己：我不是指空虚的感觉。

youdao

It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain that this nation,under God, shall have a new birth of freedom and that government of the people, by the people,for the people, shall not perish from the earth."

VOA: special.2009.11.12

Specifically you'll see that the rationale for observing the Sabbath is different. God's name in Deuteronomy 5 is not to be used in a vain oath as opposed to a false oath. There are differences in the meaning.

你会发现两者对守安息日习俗的论述是特别不同的,《申命记》第五章的描述是，不可以妄称上帝的名,而不是不可以以上帝的名义作假誓，它们表达的意思。

耶鲁公开课 - 旧约导论课程节选

Since April the pace of appreciation has been much reduced, in a vain effort to discourage speculators.

ECONOMIST: Capital inflows to China

More and more rural areas are being buried under concrete in a vain attempt to tackle congestion on motorways and other major routes.

ECONOMIST: Jam today, road pricing tomorrow

The Fed faces a very dangerous tradeoff: risk higher inflation by expanding the monetary base (currency plus bank reserves) in a vain attempt to lower unemployment.

FORBES: The Limits Of Monetary Policy Call For Moral, Sound Money