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Go to the ant, you sluggard.
    Consider her ways, and be wise;
which having no chief, overseer, or ruler,
    provides her bread in the summer,
    and gathers her food in the harvest.
How long will you sleep, sluggard?
    When will you arise out of your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to sleep:
11 so your poverty will come as a robber,
    and your scarcity as an armed man.

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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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He becomes poor who works with a lazy hand,
    but the hand of the diligent brings wealth.
He who gathers in summer is a wise son,
    but he who sleeps during the harvest is a son who causes shame.

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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 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.

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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 He who tills his land shall have plenty of bread,
    but he who chases fantasies is void of understanding.

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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 The hands of the diligent ones shall rule,
    but laziness ends in slave labor.

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

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27 The slothful man doesn’t roast his game,
    but the possessions of diligent men are prized.

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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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The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing,
    but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.

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

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11 Wealth gained dishonestly dwindles away,
    but he who gathers by hand makes it grow.

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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 In all hard work there is profit,
    but the talk of the lips leads only 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 The way of the sluggard is like a thorn patch,
    but the path of the upright is a 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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One who is slack in his work
    is brother to him who is a master of destruction.

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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