Proverbs 6:6-11
The Voice
6 Take a lesson from the ant, you who love leisure and ease.
Observe how it works, and dare to be just as wise.
7 It has no boss,
no one laying down the law or telling it what to do,
8 Yet it gathers its food through summer
and takes what it needs from the harvest.
9 How long do you plan to lounge your life away, you lazy fool?
Will you ever get out of bed?
10 You say, “A little sleep, a little rest,
a few more minutes, a nice little nap.”
11 But soon poverty will be on top of you like a robber;
need will assault you like a well-armed warrior.
Proverbs 6:6-11
New International Version
Proverbs 10:4-5
The Voice
4 A slack hand produces nothing but poverty,
but an industrious hand soon takes hold of riches.
5 A wise son stores up for the winter months while it is still summer,
but a shameful son lies around even during the harvest.
Proverbs 10:4-5
New International Version
5 He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.(C)
Proverbs 10:26
The Voice
26 As vinegar vexes the teeth, and as smoke irritates the eyes,
so a slacker annoys his boss.
Proverbs 10:26
New International Version
Proverbs 12:11
The Voice
A person in a positive relationship with God stands in a right relationship with His creation. How we treat animals may mirror our souls—not just the pets in our home, but the pets in our neighborhood and the animals in our food supply. One who is truly right with God considers the needs of His creatures.
11 Whoever works the land will have more than enough food,
but whoever follows empty pursuits lacks sense.
Proverbs 12:11
New International Version
11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(A)
Proverbs 12:24
The Voice
24 The hand of the hard workers will one day rule,
and slackers will be forced to labor.
Proverbs 12:24
New International Version
24 Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in forced labor.(A)
Proverbs 12:27
The Voice
27 Slackers don’t take time to cook their food,[a]
but hard workers prize everything they have.
Footnotes
- 12:27 Meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
Proverbs 12:27
New International Version
27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
Proverbs 13:4
The Voice
4 Slackers crave but have their fill of nothing,
but the hardworking desire and are completely satisfied.
Proverbs 13:4
New International Version
4 A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(A)
but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
Proverbs 13:11
The Voice
11 Money earned hastily is easily lost,
but hard-earned money continues to grow.
Proverbs 13:11
New International Version
11 Dishonest money dwindles away,(A)
but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.
Proverbs 14:23
The Voice
23 Prosperity comes from hard work,
but talking too much leads to great scarcity.
Proverbs 14:23
New International Version
23 All hard work brings a profit,
but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 15:19
The Voice
19 Lazy people walk a path overgrown with thornbushes,
but those with integrity travel a wide, level road.
Proverbs 15:19
New International Version
19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,(A)
but the path of the upright is a highway.
Proverbs 18:9
The Voice
9 Those who slack off at work
are no different from vandals.
Proverbs 18:9
New International Version
9 One who is slack in his work
is brother to one who destroys.(A)
Proverbs 19:15
The Voice
15 Laziness lulls people into a deep sleep;
a slacker will have nothing to eat.
Proverbs 19:15
New International Version
15 Laziness brings on deep sleep,
and the shiftless go hungry.(A)
Proverbs 19:24
The Voice
24 Some people are so lazy—they reach for food on the plate
but lack the will to bring it up to their mouths.
Proverbs 19:24
New International Version
24 A sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
he will not even bring it back to his mouth!(A)
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.