The Folly of Indolence

(A)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no [a]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her [b]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
(B)How long will you [c]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (C)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
  2. Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
  3. Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down

Go to the ant, thou sluggard;
Consider her ways, and be wise:
Which having no [a]chief,
Overseer, or ruler,
Provideth her bread in the summer,
And gathereth her food in the harvest.
How long wilt thou [b]sleep, O sluggard?
When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to [c]sleep:
11 So shall thy poverty come as a [d]robber,
And thy want as [e]an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:7 Or, judge
  2. Proverbs 6:9 Hebrew lie down.
  3. Proverbs 6:10 Hebrew lie down.
  4. Proverbs 6:11 Or, rover
  5. Proverbs 6:11 Hebrew a man with a shield.

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)He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But (B)the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in (C)summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is (D)a son who causes shame.

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He becometh poor that worketh with a slack hand;
But the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
He that gathereth in summer is [a]a wise son;
But he that sleepeth in harvest is a son [b]that causeth shame.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:5 Or, a son that doeth wisely
  2. Proverbs 10:5 Or, that doeth shamefully

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 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.

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26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,
So is the sluggard to them that send him.

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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)He who [a]tills his land will be satisfied with (B)bread,
But he who follows [b]frivolity (C)is devoid of [c]understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
  2. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
  3. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart

11 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread;
But he that followeth after [a]vain persons is void of understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 Or, vain things

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,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

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24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule;
But [a]the slothful shall be put under taskwork.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:24 Hebrew slothfulness.

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

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27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.

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27 [a]The slothful man [b]roasteth not that which he took in hunting;
But the precious substance of men [c]is to the diligent.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Hebrew slothfulness.
  2. Proverbs 12:27 Or, catcheth not his prey
  3. Proverbs 12:27 Or, is to be diligent

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 a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

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The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

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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 no oxen are, the [a]trough is clean;
But much increase comes by the strength of an ox.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:4 manger or feed trough

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;
But much increase is by 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 labor there is profit,
But [a]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips

23 In all labor there is profit;
But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

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

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