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Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
    Learn from their ways and become wise!
Though they have no prince
    or governor or ruler to make them work,
they labor hard all summer,
    gathering food for the winter.
But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
    When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
    scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

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Laziness

Go to the ant,(A) you slacker!(B)
Observe its ways and become wise.
Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(C)
How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(D)

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Go to the ant, you sluggard;(A)
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer(B)
    and gathers its food at harvest.(C)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(D)
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(E)
11 and poverty(F) will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

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Lazy people are soon poor;
    hard workers get rich.

A wise youth harvests in the summer,
    but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

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Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.(A)

The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.(B)

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Lazy hands make for poverty,(A)
    but diligent hands bring wealth.(B)

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.(C)

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26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
    like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

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26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,(A)
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

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26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke(A) to the eyes,
    so are sluggards to those who send them.(B)

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11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

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11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,(A)
but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.(B)

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11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
    but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(A)

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24 Work hard and become a leader;
    be lazy and become a slave.

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24 The diligent hand will rule,
but laziness will lead to forced labor.(A)

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24 Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor.(A)

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27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
    but the diligent make use of everything they find.

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27 A lazy hunter doesn’t roast his game,(A)
but to a diligent person, his wealth is precious.(B)

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27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

Lazy people want much but get little,
    but those who work hard will prosper.

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The slacker craves, yet has nothing,
but the diligent is fully satisfied.(A)

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A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(A)
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

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11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.

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11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle,(A)
but whoever earns it through labor[a] will multiply it.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 13:11 Lit whoever gathers upon his hand

11 Dishonest money dwindles away,(A)
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

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23 Work brings profit,
    but mere talk leads to poverty!

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23 There is profit in all hard work,
but endless talk[a] leads only to poverty.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 14:23 Lit but word of lips

23 All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

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