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Proverbs 6:6-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Proverbs 6:6-11
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
The Ant and the Sluggard at Harvest
6 [a]Go to the ant,(A) O sluggard,
study her ways and learn wisdom;
7 For though she has no chief,
no commander or ruler,
8 She procures her food in the summer,
stores up her provisions in the harvest.
9 How long, O sluggard, will you lie there?
when will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest—[b]
11 Then poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like a brigand.
Footnotes
- 6:6–11 The sluggard or lazybones is a type in Proverbs, like the righteous and the wicked. Sometimes the opposite type to the sluggard is the diligent person. Other extended passages on the sluggard are 24:30–34 and 26:13–16. The malice of the type is not low physical energy but the refusal to act. To describe human types, Proverbs often uses comparisons from the animal world, e.g., 27:8 (bird); 28:1, 15 (lion); 30:18–19 (eagle, snake); 30:24–28 (ant, badger, locust, lizard).
- 6:10 This verse may be regarded as the sluggard’s reply or as a continuation of the remonstrance.
Proverbs 6:6-11
Good News Translation
Proverbs 6:6-11
Good News Translation
6 Lazy people should learn a lesson from the way ants live. 7 They have no leader, chief, or ruler, 8 but they store up their food during the summer, getting ready for winter. 9 How long is the lazy man going to lie around? When is he ever going to get up? 10 (A)“I'll just take a short nap,” he says; “I'll fold my hands and rest a while.” 11 But while he sleeps, poverty will attack him like an armed robber.
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Proverbs 6:6-11
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Proverbs 6:6-11
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
6 Go to the ant, you lazybones;
consider its ways, and be wise.
7 Without having any chief
or officer or ruler,
8 it prepares its food in summer,
and gathers its sustenance in harvest.
9 How long will you lie there, O lazybones?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want, like an armed warrior.
Proverbs 6:6-11
New American Standard Bible
Proverbs 6:6-11
New American Standard Bible
6 Go to the (A)ant, you [a](B)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
7 Which, having (C)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
8 Prepares its food (D)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, you [b]lazy one?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 “(E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to [c]rest,”
11 (F)Then your poverty will come in like a [d]drifter,
And your need like [e]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield
Proverbs 6:6-11
New International Version
Proverbs 6:6-11
New International Version
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
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Good News Translation (GNT) 
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New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
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New American Standard Bible (NASB) 
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New International Version (NIV) 
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