Proverbs 6:6-11
New Living Translation
6 Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
Learn from their ways and become wise!
7 Though they have no prince
or governor or ruler to make them work,
8 they labor hard all summer,
gathering food for the winter.
9 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.
Proverbs 6:6-11
International Standard Version
The Folly of Laziness
6 Go to the ant, you lazy man!
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 It has no commander,
officer, or ruler,
8 but prepares its provisions in the summer
and gathers its food in the harvest.
9 How long will you lie down, lazy man?
When will you get up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
11 and your poverty will come on you like a bandit
and your desperation like an armed man.
Proverbs 10:4-5
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people are soon poor;
hard workers get rich.
5 A wise youth harvests in the summer,
but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.
Proverbs 10:4-5
International Standard Version
4 Lazy hands bring poverty,
but hard-working hands lead to wealth.
5 Whoever harvests during summer acts wisely,
but the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.
Proverbs 10:26
New Living Translation
26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Proverbs 10:26
International Standard Version
26 As vinegar is to the mouth[a] and smoke to the eyes,
so is the lazy person to those who send him.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:26 Lit. teeth
Proverbs 12:11
New Living Translation
11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
Proverbs 12:11
International Standard Version
11 Whoever tills his soil will have a lot to eat,
but anyone who pursues fantasies lacks sense.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart
Proverbs 12:24
New Living Translation
24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
Proverbs 12:24
International Standard Version
24 The diligent will take control,
but the lazy will be put to forced labor.
Proverbs 12:27
New Living Translation
27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
but the diligent make use of everything they find.
Proverbs 12:27
International Standard Version
27 The lazy person does not roast what he has hunted,
but diligence is one’s most important possession.
Proverbs 13:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 13:4
International Standard Version
4 The lazy person craves, yet receives nothing,
but the desires of the diligent are satisfied.
Proverbs 13:11
New Living Translation
11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
wealth from hard work grows over time.
Proverbs 13:11
International Standard Version
11 Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away,
but whoever works diligently increases his prosperity.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:11 The Heb. lacks his prosperity
Proverbs 14:23
New Living Translation
23 Work brings profit,
but mere talk leads to poverty!
Proverbs 14:23
International Standard Version
23 In hard work there is always profit,
but too much chattering[a] leads to poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit. word of lips
Proverbs 15:19
New Living Translation
19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
but the path of the upright is an open highway.
Proverbs 15:19
International Standard Version
19 The lifestyle of the lazy is like a thorny hedge,
but the path taken by the upright is an open highway.
Proverbs 18:9
New Living Translation
9 A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.
Proverbs 18:9
International Standard Version
Avoiding Fools and Their Foolishness
9 Whoever is lazy regarding his work
is also a brother to the master of destruction.
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.