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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
  2. Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
  3. Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
  4. Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
  5. Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield

Go to the ant, you sluggard;(A)
    consider its ways and be wise!
It has no commander,
    no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer(B)
    and gathers its food at harvest.(C)

How long will you lie there, you sluggard?(D)
    When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest(E)
11 and poverty(F) will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand

Lazy hands make for poverty,(A)
    but diligent hands bring wealth.(B)

He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.(C)

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26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the [a](A)lazy one to those who send him.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one

26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke(A) to the eyes,
    so are sluggards to those who send them.(B)

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11 One (A)who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks [a]sense.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:11 Lit heart

11 Those who work their land will have abundant food,
    but those who chase fantasies have no sense.(A)

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:24 Lit idle

24 Diligent hands will rule,
    but laziness ends in forced labor.(A)

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27 [a]A lazy person does not [b]roast his prey,
But the (A)precious possession of a person is diligence.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Lit An indolent
  2. Proverbs 12:27 Or catch

27 The lazy do not roast[a] any game,
    but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.

The soul of the [a]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [b]prosperous.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
  2. Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat

A sluggard’s appetite is never filled,(A)
    but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.

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11 Wealth obtained from [a]nothing dwindles,
But one who gathers [b]by labor increases it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
  2. Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand

11 Dishonest money dwindles away,(A)
    but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

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

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 14:23 Lit word of lips

23 All hard work brings a profit,
    but mere talk leads only to poverty.

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19 The way of the [a]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 15:19 Lit idle

19 The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns,(A)
    but the path of the upright is a highway.

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

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One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.(A)

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