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27 Establish your work outside
And (A)make it ready for yourself in the field;
And afterwards, you shall build your house.

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27 Get your outside work done;
    make preparations in the field;
    then you can build your house.

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30 I passed by the field of the sluggard
And by the vineyard of the man (A)lacking a heart of wisdom,
31 And behold, it was completely [a](B)overgrown with thistles;
[b](C)Nettles have covered its surface,
And its stone (D)wall has been torn down.
32 And I beheld, I set my heart upon it;
I saw, I received discipline.
33 (E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come as [c]a robber
And your want like [d]an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:31 Lit gone up
  2. Proverbs 24:31 A kind of weed
  3. Proverbs 24:34 Or a vagabond; lit one who walks
  4. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield

30 I happened upon the field of a lazy person,
    by the vineyard of one with no sense.
31 Thorns grew all over it;
    weeds covered the ground,
    and the stone wall was falling down.
32 I observed this and took it to heart;
    I saw it and learned a lesson.
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little lying down with folded arms”—
34     and poverty will come on you like a prowler,
    deprivation like a man with a shield.

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It is the glory of God to (A)conceal a matter,
But the glory of (B)kings is to search out a matter.

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It is the glory of God to hide something
    and the glory of kings to discover something.

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13 Like the cold of snow in the [a]time of harvest
Is a (A)faithful envoy to those who send him,
For he refreshes the soul of his masters.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 25:13 Lit day

13 Like the coolness of snow on a harvest day
    are reliable messengers to those who send them;
    they restore the life of their master.

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13 The (A)sluggard says, “There is a fierce lion in the road!
A lion is [a]among the streets!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does the (B)sluggard on his bed.
15 The (C)sluggard buries his hand in the dish;
He is too weary to return it to his mouth.
16 The sluggard is (D)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can respond with a discreet answer.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:13 Lit within

13 A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the path!
    A lion in the plazas!”
14 As a door turns on its hinge,
    so do lazy people in their beds.
15 Lazy people bury their hand into the bowl,
    too tired to return it to their mouth.
16 Lazy people think they are wiser
    than seven people who answer sensibly.

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23 (A)Know well the [a]condition of your flocks,
And pay attention to your herds;

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 27:23 Lit face

23 Know your flock well;
    pay attention to your herds,

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19 (A)He who cultivates his ground will be (B)satisfied with food,
But he who pursues empty things will be satisfied with poverty.

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19 Those who work the land will have plenty to eat,
    but those with worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

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24 Four things are small on the earth,
But they are exceedingly wise:
25 The (A)ants are not a strong people,
But they prepare their food in the summer;
26 The [a](B)shephanim are not a mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the cliff;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (C)rank;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 30:26 Small, shy, furry animals (Hyrax syriacus)

24 Four things are among the smallest on earth,
    but they are extremely wise:
25     Ants as creatures aren’t strong,
            but they store away their food in the summer.
26     Badgers as creatures aren’t powerful,
            but they make their homes in the rocks.
27     Locusts don’t have a king,
            but they march together in ranks.
28     You can catch lizards in your hand,
            but they are in kings’ palaces.

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