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15 Laziness brings on deep sleep;
    an idle person will suffer hunger.(A)

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15 Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.(A)

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24 The lazy person buries a hand in the dish
    and will not even bring it back to the mouth.(A)

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24 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth!(A)

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The lazy person does not plow in season;
    harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.(A)

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The slacker does not plow during planting season;[a]
at harvest time he looks,[b] and there is nothing.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:4 Lit plow in winter
  2. 20:4 Lit inquires

13 Do not love sleep, or else you will come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.(A)

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13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.(A)

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The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is hasty comes only to want.(A)

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The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.(A)

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25 The craving of the lazy person is fatal,
    for lazy hands refuse to labor.(A)

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25 A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.(A)

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30 I passed by the field of one who was lazy,
    by the vineyard of a stupid person,(A)
31 and see, it was all overgrown with thorns;
    the ground was covered with nettles,
    and its stone wall was broken down.
32 Then I saw and considered it;
    I looked and received instruction.
33 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest,(B)
34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want, like an armed warrior.

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30 I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,(A)
and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber,
and your need, like a bandit.(B)

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13 The lazy person says, “There is a lion in the road!
    There is a lion in the streets!”(A)
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
    so does a lazy person in bed.
15 The lazy person buries a hand in the dish
    and is too tired to bring it back to the mouth.(B)
16 The lazy person is wiser in self-esteem
    than seven who can answer discreetly.

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13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!” (A)
14 A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.(B)
15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!(C)
16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser(D)
than seven who can answer sensibly.

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19 Anyone who tills the land will have plenty of bread,
    but one who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.(A)

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

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