27 Prepare your work outside,
And (A)make it ready for yourself in the field;
Afterward, then, build your house.

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27 Do your planning and prepare your fields
    before building your house.

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30 I passed by the field of [a]a lazy one,
And by the vineyard of a person (A)lacking [b]sense,
31 And behold, it was completely (B)overgrown with weeds;
Its surface was covered with (C)weeds,
And its stone (D)wall was broken down.
32 When I saw, I [c]reflected upon it;
I looked, and received instruction.
33 (E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,”
34 Then your poverty will come like [d]a drifter,
And your need like [e]an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 24:30 Lit an idle
  2. Proverbs 24:30 Lit heart
  3. Proverbs 24:32 Lit set my heart
  4. Proverbs 24:34 Lit one who moves about
  5. Proverbs 24:34 Lit a man with a shield

30 I walked by the field of a lazy person,
    the vineyard of one with no common sense.
31 I saw that it was overgrown with nettles.
    It was covered with weeds,
    and its walls were broken down.
32 Then, as I looked and thought about it,
    I learned this lesson:
33 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
34 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
    scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

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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 God’s privilege to conceal things
    and the king’s privilege to discover them.

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13 Like the cold of snow in the [a]time of harvest
Is a (A)faithful messenger 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 Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer.
    They revive the spirit of their employer.

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13 [a]A (A)lazy one says, “There is a lion on the road!
A lion is [b]in the public square!”
14 As the door turns on its hinges,
So does a (B)lazy one on his bed.
15 A (C)lazy one buries his hand in the dish;
He is weary of bringing it to his mouth again.
16 A lazy one is (D)wiser in his own eyes
Than seven people who can [c]give a discreet answer.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 26:13 Lit an idle, and so throughout the ch
  2. Proverbs 26:13 Lit within
  3. Proverbs 26:16 Lit return discreetly

13 The lazy person claims, “There’s a lion on the road!
    Yes, I’m sure there’s a lion out there!”

14 As a door swings back and forth on its hinges,
    so the lazy person turns over in bed.

15 Lazy people take food in their hand
    but don’t even lift it to their mouth.

16 Lazy people consider themselves smarter
    than seven wise counselors.

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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 the state of your flocks,
    and put your heart into caring for your herds,

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19 (A)One who works his land will (B)have plenty of food,
But one who follows empty pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

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19 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies ends up in 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 (B)rock hyraxes are not a mighty people,
Yet they make their houses in the rocks;
27 The locusts have no king,
Yet all of them go out in (C)ranks;
28 The lizard you may grasp with the hands,
Yet it is in kings’ palaces.

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24 There are four things on earth that are small but unusually wise:
25 Ants—they aren’t strong,
    but they store up food all summer.
26 Hyraxes[a]—they aren’t powerful,
    but they make their homes among the rocks.
27 Locusts—they have no king,
    but they march in formation.
28 Lizards—they are easy to catch,
    but they are found even in kings’ palaces.

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Footnotes

  1. 30:26 Or Coneys, or Rock badgers.