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,(D)
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(E)

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Against Sloth

Go to the ant, lazy!
    Consider its ways and be wise.
It has no chief,
    officer, or ruler.
In the summer, it prepares its food;
    in the harvest, it gathers its sustenance.
How long will you lie down, lazy?
    When will you rise up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands for rest—
11 like a robber[a] shall your poverty come,
    and what you lack like an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:11 Literally “one who walks,” that is, a vagabond

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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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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A slack hand causes poverty,
    but the hand of the diligent enriches.
He who gathers in the summer is a child who is prudent;
    he who sleeps at the harvest is a child who brings shame.

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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,(A)
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

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26 Like vinegar to the tooth and like smoke to the eyes,
    thus is the lazy to one who employs[a] him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:26 Or “sends”

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

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11 He who works his land will have plenty of food,
    but he who follows worthless things lacks sense.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 Literally “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 The diligent hand will rule,
but laziness will lead to forced labor.(A)

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24 The hand of the diligent ones will rule,
    but the lazy will belong 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 lazy man doesn’t roast his game,(A)
but to a diligent man, his wealth is precious.(B)

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27 The lazy will not roast his game,
    but diligence is the precious wealth of a man.

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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.

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

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The soul[a] of the lazy craves, but there is nothing,
    but the person of diligence is richly supplied.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:4 Or “life”

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 feeding trough is empty,[a]
but an abundant harvest comes
through the strength of an ox.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:4 Or clean

When there are no[a] oxen the manger is empty,
    but an abundance of crops comes by the strength of an ox.[b]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:4 Literally “In there is no”
  2. Proverbs 14:4 Hebrew “bull”

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit but word of lips

23 In all toil, there is profit,
    but the talk[a] of lips leads only to poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Literally “word, matter, thing”

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

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