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19 The one who works his land will be satisfied with food,[a]
but whoever chases daydreams[b] will have his fill[c] of poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 28:19 tn Or “will have plenty of food” (Heb “bread”); so NAB, NASB, NCV.
  2. Proverbs 28:19 tn Heb “empty things” or “vain things”; NRSV “follows worthless pursuits.” sn Prosperity depends on diligent work and not on chasing empty dreams. The proverb is essentially the same as Prov 12:11 except for the last expression.
  3. Proverbs 28:19 tn The repetition of the verb strengthens the contrast. Both halves of the verse use the verb יִשְׂבַּע (yisbaʿ, “will be satisfied; will be filled with; will have enough”). It is positive in the first colon, but negative in the second—with an ironic twist to say one is “satisfied” with poverty.

19 Those who work their land will have plenty of food,
but the ones who ·chase empty dreams instead [L pursue emptiness] will end up poor.

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