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Go to the (A)ant, O (B)sluggard,
Observe her ways and be wise,
Which, having (C)no chief,
Officer or ruler,
Prepares her food (D)in the summer
And gathers her provision in the harvest.
How long will you lie down, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
10 (E)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to [a]rest”—
11 (F)Your poverty will come in like [b]a vagabond
And your want like [c]an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
  2. Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who walks
  3. Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield

The Folly of Indolence

(A)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
Which, having no [a]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
Provides her [b]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
(B)How long will you [c]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (C)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
  2. Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
  3. Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down

Poor is he who works with a slack [a]hand,
But the (A)hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in summer is a son who acts insightfully,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:4 Lit palm

(A)He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But (B)the hand of the diligent makes rich.
He who gathers in (C)summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is (D)a son who causes shame.

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26 Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes,
So is the (A)sluggard to those who send him.

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26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.

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11 He (A)who cultivates his land will be satisfied with bread,
But he who pursues empty things lacks a heart of wisdom.

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11 (A)He who [a]tills his land will be satisfied with (B)bread,
But he who follows [b]frivolity (C)is devoid of [c]understanding.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
  2. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
  3. Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart

24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
But [a]the slack hand will be (A)put to forced labor.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:24 Lit slackness

24 (A)The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.

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27 A slack handed man does not [a]roast his prey,
But the wealth of a man is (A)precious for the diligent.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Or catch

27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.

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The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is enriched.

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(A)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.

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11 Wealth obtained from empty effort dwindles,
But the one who gathers [a]with his hand abounds.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 Or gradually

11 (A)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.

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23 In all painful labor there is profit,
But mere words from the lips lead only to want.

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23 In all labor there is profit,
But [a]idle chatter leads only to poverty.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips

19 The way of the sluggard is as a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.

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19 (A)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.

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He also who is (A)slack in his work
(B)Is brother to him who destroys.

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He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.

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