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
Lexham English Bible
Against Sloth
6 Go to the ant, lazy!
Consider its ways and be wise.
7 It has no chief,
officer, or ruler.
8 In the summer, it prepares its food;
in the harvest, it gathers its sustenance.
9 How long will you lie down, lazy?
When will you rise up from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands for rest—
11 like a robber[a] shall your poverty come,
and what you lack like an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:11 Literally “one who walks,” that is, a vagabond
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
Lexham English Bible
4 A slack hand causes poverty,
but the hand of the diligent enriches.
5 He who gathers in the summer is a child who is prudent;
he who sleeps at the harvest is a child who brings shame.
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
Lexham English Bible
26 Like vinegar to the tooth and like smoke to the eyes,
thus is the lazy to one who employs[a] him.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:26 Or “sends”
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
Lexham English Bible
11 He who works his land will have plenty of food,
but he who follows worthless things lacks sense.[a]
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:11 Literally “heart”
Proverbs 12:24
New Living Translation
24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
Proverbs 12:24
Lexham English Bible
24 The hand of the diligent ones will rule,
but the lazy will belong 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
Lexham English Bible
27 The lazy will not roast his game,
but diligence is the precious wealth of a man.
Proverbs 13:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 13:4
Lexham English Bible
4 The soul[a] of the lazy craves, but there is nothing,
but the person of diligence is richly supplied.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:4 Or “life”
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
Lexham English Bible
11 Wealth gained from haste[a] will dwindle,
but he who gathers little by little[b] will increase it.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:11 Or “vanity”
- Proverbs 13:11 Literally “upon the hand”
Proverbs 14:23
New Living Translation
23 Work brings profit,
but mere talk leads to poverty!
Proverbs 14:23
Lexham English Bible
23 In all toil, there is profit,
but the talk[a] of lips leads only to poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:23 Literally “word, matter, thing”
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
Lexham English Bible
19 The way of the lazy is like a hedge of thorns,[a]
but the path of the upright is a highway.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:19 Hebrew “thorn”
Proverbs 18:9
New Living Translation
9 A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.
Proverbs 18:9
Lexham English Bible
9 Even he who is slack in his work,
he is brother to a master[a] of destruction.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 18:9 Or “owner”
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.
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