As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, So is the lazy man to those who send him.

The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, But diligence is man’s precious possession.

The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns, But the way of the upright is a highway.

A lazy man buries his hand in the bowl, And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

The desire of the lazy man kills him, For his hands refuse to labor.

The lazy man says, “There is a lion outside! I shall be slain in the streets!”

I went by the field of the lazy man, And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;

The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion is in the streets!”

As a door turns on its hinges, So does the lazy man on his bed.

The lazy man buries his hand in the bowl; It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.

The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes Than seven men who can answer sensibly.

“But his lord answered and said to him, ‘You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed.

One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.”