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Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
    Learn from their ways and become wise!
Though they have no prince
    or governor or ruler to make them work,
they labor hard all summer,
    gathering food for the winter.
But you, lazybones, how long will you sleep?
    When will you wake up?
10 A little extra sleep, a little more slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
11 then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit;
    scarcity will attack you like an armed robber.

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Laziness

Go to the ant,(A) you slacker!(B)
Observe its ways and become wise.
Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(C)
How long will you stay in bed, you slacker?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
11 and your poverty will come like a robber,
your need, like a bandit.(D)

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Lazy people are soon poor;
    hard workers get rich.

A wise youth harvests in the summer,
    but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

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Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.(A)

The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.(B)

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26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
    like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

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26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,(A)
so the slacker is to the one who sends him on an errand.

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11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

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11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,(A)
but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.(B)

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24 Work hard and become a leader;
    be lazy and become a slave.

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24 The diligent hand will rule,
but laziness will lead to forced labor.(A)

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27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
    but the diligent make use of everything they find.

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27 A lazy hunter doesn’t roast his game,(A)
but to a diligent person, his wealth is precious.(B)

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Lazy people want much but get little,
    but those who work hard will prosper.

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The slacker craves, yet has nothing,
but the diligent is fully satisfied.(A)

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11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.

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11 Wealth obtained by fraud will dwindle,(A)
but whoever earns it through labor[a] will multiply it.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 13:11 Lit whoever gathers upon his hand

23 Work brings profit,
    but mere talk leads to poverty!

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23 There is profit in all hard work,
but endless talk[a] leads only to poverty.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 14:23 Lit but word of lips

19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
    but the path of the upright is an open highway.

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19 A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.(A)

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A lazy person is as bad as
    someone who destroys things.

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The one who is lazy in his work
is brother to a vandal.[a](A)

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Footnotes

  1. 18:9 Lit master of destruction