Proverbs 6:6-11
New King James Version
The Folly of Indolence
6 (A)Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise,
7 Which, having no [a]captain,
Overseer or ruler,
8 Provides her [b]supplies in the summer,
And gathers her food in the harvest.
9 (B)How long will you [c]slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep?
10 A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 (C)So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 6:7 Lit. leader
- Proverbs 6:8 Lit. bread
- Proverbs 6:9 Lit. lie down
Proverbs 10:4-5
New King James Version
4 (A)He who has a slack hand becomes poor,
But (B)the hand of the diligent makes rich.
5 He who gathers in (C)summer is a wise son;
He who sleeps in harvest is (D)a son who causes shame.
Proverbs 10:26
New King James Version
26 As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
So is the lazy man to those who send him.
Proverbs 12:11
New King James Version
11 (A)He who [a]tills his land will be satisfied with (B)bread,
But he who follows [b]frivolity (C)is devoid of [c]understanding.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 12:11 works or cultivates
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. vain things
- Proverbs 12:11 Lit. heart
Proverbs 12:24
New King James Version
24 (A)The hand of the diligent will rule,
But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
Proverbs 12:27
New King James Version
27 The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man’s precious possession.
Proverbs 13:4
New King James Version
4 (A)The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing;
But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
Proverbs 13:11
New King James Version
11 (A)Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished,
But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Proverbs 14:23
New King James Version
23 In all labor there is profit,
But [a]idle chatter leads only to poverty.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 14:23 Lit. talk of the lips
Proverbs 15:19
New King James Version
19 (A)The way of the lazy man is like a hedge of thorns,
But the way of the upright is a highway.
Proverbs 18:9
New King James Version
9 He who is slothful in his work
Is a brother to him who is a great destroyer.
Proverbs 19:15
New King James Version
Proverbs 19:24
New King James Version
24 (A)A lazy man buries his hand in the [a]bowl,
And will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 19:24 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
Proverbs 20:4
New King James Version
Proverbs 20:13
New King James Version
13 (A)Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
Proverbs 21:5
New King James Version
5 (A)The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty,
But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
Proverbs 21:25
New King James Version
25 The (A)desire of the lazy man kills him,
For his hands refuse to labor.
Proverbs 24:30-34
New King James Version
30 I went by the field of the lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
31 And there it was, (A)all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
32 When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
33 (B)A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
34 (C)So shall your poverty come like [a]a prowler,
And your need like [b]an armed man.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. one who walks about
- Proverbs 24:34 Lit. a man with a shield
Proverbs 26:13-16
New King James Version
13 The lazy man says, “There is a lion in the road!
A fierce lion is in the [a]streets!”
14 As a door turns on its hinges,
So does the lazy man on his bed.
15 The (A)lazy man buries his hand in the [b]bowl;
It wearies him to bring it back to his mouth.
16 The lazy man is wiser in his own eyes
Than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Footnotes
- Proverbs 26:13 Or plazas, squares
- Proverbs 26:15 LXX, Syr. bosom; Tg., Vg. armpit
Proverbs 28:19
New King James Version
19 (A)He who tills his land will have plenty of bread,
But he who follows frivolity will have poverty enough!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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