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

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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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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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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

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

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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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13 Trustworthy messengers refresh like snow in summer.
    They revive the spirit of their employer.

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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 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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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

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

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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

19 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies ends up in poverty.

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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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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.

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)