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
New American Standard Bible
6 Go to the (A)ant, you [a](B)lazy one,
Observe its ways and be wise,
7 Which, having (C)no chief,
Officer, or ruler,
8 Prepares its food (D)in the summer
And gathers its provision in the harvest.
9 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.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:6 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit idle one
- Proverbs 6:10 Lit lie down
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit one who moves about
- Proverbs 6:11 Lit a man with a shield
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
New American Standard Bible
4 Poor is one who works with [a]a lazy hand,
But the (A)hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in summer is a son who acts wisely,
But he who sleeps in harvest is a son who acts shamefully.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:4 Lit an idle hand
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
New American Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 10:26 Lit idle one
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
New American Standard Bible
11 One (A)who works his land will have plenty of bread,
But one who pursues worthless things lacks [a]sense.
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
New American Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:24 Lit idle
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
New American Standard Bible
27 [a]A lazy person does not [b]roast his prey,
But the (A)precious possession of a person is diligence.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:27 Lit An indolent
- Proverbs 12:27 Or catch
Proverbs 13:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 13:4
New American Standard Bible
4 The soul of the [a]lazy one craves and gets nothing,
But the soul of the diligent is made [b]prosperous.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:4 Lit idle
- Proverbs 13:4 Lit fat
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
New American Standard Bible
Footnotes
- Proverbs 13:11 Prob. referring to fraud
- Proverbs 13:11 Lit by hand
Proverbs 14:23
New Living Translation
23 Work brings profit,
but mere talk leads to poverty!
Proverbs 14:23
New American Standard Bible
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [a]mere talk leads only 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
New American Standard Bible
19 The way of the [a]lazy one is like a hedge of thorns,
But the path of the upright is a highway.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 15:19 Lit idle
Proverbs 18:9
New Living Translation
9 A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.
Proverbs 18:9
New American Standard Bible
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.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.