15 Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.(A)

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15 Laziness puts one to sleep,
    and an idle person will go hungry.

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15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
    and the shiftless go hungry.(A)

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24 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth!(A)

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24 The lazy person buries his hand in his dish
    and doesn’t bother to bring it back to his mouth.

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24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
    he will not even bring it back to his mouth!(A)

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The slacker does not plow during planting season;[a]
at harvest time he looks,[b] and there is nothing.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:4 Lit plow in winter
  2. 20:4 Lit inquires

A lazy person doesn’t plow in the proper[a] season;
    he looks for a harvest, but there is nothing.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 20:4 The Heb. lacks proper

Sluggards(A) do not plow in season;
    so at harvest time they look but find nothing.(B)

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13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.(A)

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13 Do not love sleep or you’ll become poor,
    keep your eyes open and you’ll have plenty of food.

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13 Do not love sleep or you will grow poor;(A)
    stay awake and you will have food to spare.

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17 The one who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.(A)

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17 Pleasure lovers become poor;
    loving wine and oil doesn’t bring riches.

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17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
    whoever loves wine and olive oil will never be rich.(A)

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25 A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.(A)
26 He is filled with craving[a] all day long,
but the righteous give and don’t hold back.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:26 Lit He craves a craving

25 What the lazy person craves will kill him,
    because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he continues to crave,
    while the righteous person gives without holding back.

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25 The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him,(A)
    because his hands refuse to work.
26 All day long he craves for more,
    but the righteous(B) give without sparing.(C)

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29 Do you see a person skilled in his work?
He will stand in the presence of kings.
He will not stand in the presence of the unknown.(A)

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29 Do you see a man skilled in his work?
    He will work for kings, not unimportant people.

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Saying 6

29 Do you see someone skilled(A) in their work?
    They will serve(B) before kings;(C)
    they will not serve before officials of low rank.

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27 Complete your outdoor work, and prepare your field;(A)
afterward, build your house.

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27 First do your outside work,
    preparing your land for yourself.
        After that, build your house.

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27 Put your outdoor work in order
    and get your fields ready;
    after that, build your house.

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30 I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,(A)
and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber,
and your need, like a bandit.(B)

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30 I went by the field belonging to a lazy man,
    by a vineyard belonging to a senseless person.
31 There it was, overgrown with thistles,
    the ground covered with thorns,
        its stone wall collapsed.
32 As I observed, I thought about it;
    I watched, and learned a lesson:
33 “A little sleep! A little slumber!
    A little folding of my hands to rest!”
34 Then your poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    your need like an armed bandit.

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30 I went past the field of a sluggard,(A)
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
31 thorns had come up everywhere,
    the ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone wall was in ruins.
32 I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(B)
34 and poverty will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.(C)

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