(A)Go to (B)the ant, O (C)sluggard;
    consider her ways, and (D)be wise.
(E)Without having any chief,
    (F)officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread (G)in summer
    and (H)gathers her food in harvest.
(I)How long will you lie there, (J)O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 (K)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    (L)a little (M)folding of the hands to rest,
11 (N)and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

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The Folly of Laziness

Go to the ant, you lazy man!
    Observe its ways and become wise.
It has no commander,
    officer, or ruler,
but prepares its provisions in the summer
    and gathers its food in the harvest.
How long will you lie down, lazy man?
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and your poverty will come on you like a bandit
    and your desperation like an armed man.

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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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A slack hand (A)causes poverty,
    (B)but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who (C)gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is (D)a son who brings shame.

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Lazy hands bring poverty,
    but hard-working hands lead to wealth.
Whoever harvests during summer acts wisely,
    but the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.

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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 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.

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26 As vinegar is to the mouth[a] and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the lazy person to those who send him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:26 Lit. teeth

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)Whoever works his land (B)will have plenty of bread,
    (C)but he who follows (D)worthless pursuits lacks sense.

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11 Whoever tills his soil will have a lot to eat,
    but anyone who pursues fantasies lacks sense.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart

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

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24 (A)The hand of the diligent will rule,
    while the slothful will be (B)put to forced labor.

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24 The diligent will take control,
    but the lazy will be put to forced labor.

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

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27 (A)Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Or but diligence is precious wealth

27 The lazy person does not roast what he has hunted,
    but diligence is one’s most important possession.

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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.

(A)The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
    while the soul of the diligent (B)is richly supplied.

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The lazy person craves, yet receives nothing,
    but the desires of the diligent are satisfied.

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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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Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

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Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is clean,
    but profits come through the strength of the ox.

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Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty,
    but from the strength of an ox(A) come abundant harvests.

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23 In all toil there is profit,
    but mere talk (A)tends only to poverty.

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23 In hard work there is always profit,
    but too much chattering[a] leads to poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. word of lips

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

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