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15 Lazy people ·sleep a lot [L fall into a deep sleep],
and idle people will go hungry.

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15 
Laziness casts one into a deep sleep [unmindful of lost opportunity],
And the idle person will suffer hunger.

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24 Though the lazy person ·puts [L buries] his hand in the dish,
he won’t lift the food to his mouth.

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24 
The lazy man buries his hand in the [food] dish,
But will not even bring it to his mouth again.

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Lazy farmers don’t plow ·when they should [L in the winter];
they ·expect [look for] a harvest, but there is none.

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The lazy man does not plow when the winter [planting] season arrives;
So he begs at the [next] harvest and has nothing [to reap].

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13 ·If you love to sleep, you [L Do not love to sleep, or you] will be poor.
·If you stay awake [L Keep your eyes open, and], you will have plenty of food.

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13 
Do not love [excessive] sleep, or you will become poor;
Open your eyes [so that you can do your work] and you will be satisfied with bread.

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17 Whoever loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and ·perfume [oil] will never be rich.

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17 
He who loves [only selfish] pleasure will become a poor man;
He who loves and is devoted to [a]wine and [olive] oil will not become rich.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 21:17 I.e. items associated with lavish feasting and excessive luxury.

25 Lazy people’s ·desire for sleep [L longings] will kill them,
because ·they refuse to work [L their hands refuse to do anything; 2 Thess. 3:10].

26 All day long they wish for more,
but ·good [righteous] people give without holding back.

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25 
The desire of the lazy kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor;
26 
He craves all the day long [and does no work],
But the righteous [willingly] gives and does not withhold [what he has].(A)

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29 Do you see people ·skilled [or diligent] in their work?
They will work for kings, not for ·ordinary [obscure] people.

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29 
Do you see a man skillful and experienced in his work?
He will stand [in honor] before kings;
He will not stand before obscure men.

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27 First, ·finish your outside work [execute/establish your affairs in public]
    and prepare your fields.
After that, you can build your house.

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27 
Prepare your work outside
And get it ready for yourself in the field;
[a]Afterward build your house and establish a home.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:27 Establishing your priorities and proceeding in an orderly manner brings its own reward.

30 I ·passed by [happened upon] a lazy person’s field
    and by the vineyard of someone ·with no sense [L who lacks heart/sense].
31 Thorns had grown up everywhere.
    The ground was covered with weeds,
    and the stone walls had fallen down.
32 I ·thought about [took to heart] what I had seen;
    I learned this lesson from what I saw.
33 ·You sleep a little; you take a nap [“A little sleep, a little slumber”].
    ·You fold your hands and [L “A little folding of the arms to…”] lie down to rest [6:10].
34 So ·you will be as poor as if you had been robbed [L poverty will come on you like a robber];
    ·you will have as little as if you had been held up [L deprivation (will come on you) like a shielded warrior].

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30 
I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man lacking understanding and common sense;
31 
And, behold, it was all overgrown with thorns,
And nettles were covering its surface,
And its stone wall was broken down.
32 
When I saw, I considered it well;
I looked and received instruction.
33 
“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest [and daydream],”
34 
Then your poverty will come as a robber,
And your want like an armed man.

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14 Like a door turning back and forth on its hinges,
the lazy person turns over and over in bed.

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14 
As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy person on his bed [never getting out of it].

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18 Whoever ·tends [protects] a fig tree gets to eat its fruit,
and whoever ·takes care of [guards] his master will receive honor.

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18 
He who tends the fig tree will eat its fruit,
And he who faithfully protects and cares for his master will be honored.(A)

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23 Be sure you know how your sheep are doing,
    and ·pay attention to the condition of [L set your heart on] your cattle.
24 ·Riches [Treasure] will not go on forever,
    nor ·do governments go on [a crown/diadem] forever.
25 When the grass is gone and the new grass appears,
    gather the ·grass [vegetation] from the hills.
26 Make clothes from the lambs’ wool,
    and sell some goats ·to buy [L for the price of] a field.
27 There will be plenty of goat’s milk
    to feed you and your ·family [L house]
and to make your ·servant [or young] girls healthy.

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23 
Be diligent to know the condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;
24 
For riches are not forever,
Nor does a crown endure to all generations.
25 
When the grass is gone, the new growth is seen,
And herbs of the mountain are gathered in,
26 
The lambs will supply wool for your clothing,
And the goats will bring the price of a field.
27 
And there will be enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And for the maintenance of your maids.

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19 Those who work their land will have plenty of food,
but the ones who ·chase empty dreams instead [L pursue emptiness] will end up poor.

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19 
He who cultivates his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows worthless people and frivolous pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

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