Proverbs 6:6-11
Christian Standard Bible
Laziness
6 Go to the ant,(A) you slacker!(B)
Observe its ways and become wise.
7 Without leader, administrator, or ruler,
8 it prepares its provisions in summer;
it gathers its food during harvest.(C)
9 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)
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 10:4-5
Christian Standard Bible
4 Idle hands make one poor,
but diligent hands bring riches.(A)
5 The son who gathers during summer is prudent;
the son who sleeps during harvest is disgraceful.(B)
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 10:26
Christian Standard Bible
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.
Proverbs 10:26
New Living Translation
26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Proverbs 12:11
Christian Standard Bible
11 The one who works his land will have plenty of food,(A)
but whoever chases fantasies lacks sense.(B)
Proverbs 12:11
New Living Translation
11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.
Proverbs 12:24
Christian Standard Bible
24 The diligent hand will rule,
but laziness will lead to forced labor.(A)
Proverbs 12:24
New Living Translation
24 Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.
Proverbs 12:27
Christian Standard Bible
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 13:4
Christian Standard Bible
4 The slacker craves, yet has nothing,
but the diligent is fully satisfied.(A)
Proverbs 13:4
New Living Translation
4 Lazy people want much but get little,
but those who work hard will prosper.
Proverbs 14:4
Christian Standard Bible
4 Where there are no oxen, the feeding trough is empty,[a]
but an abundant harvest comes through the strength of an ox.
Footnotes
- 14:4 Or clean
Proverbs 14:4
New Living Translation
4 Without oxen a stable stays clean,
but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.
Proverbs 14:23
Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- 14:23 Lit but word of lips
Proverbs 14:23
New Living Translation
23 Work brings profit,
but mere talk leads to poverty!
Proverbs 15:19
Christian Standard Bible
19 A slacker’s way is like a thorny hedge,
but the path of the upright is a highway.(A)
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 16:26
Christian Standard Bible
26 A worker’s appetite works for him
because his hunger[a] urges him on.
Footnotes
- 16:26 Lit mouth
Proverbs 16:26
New Living Translation
26 It is good for workers to have an appetite;
an empty stomach drives them on.
Proverbs 18:9
Christian Standard Bible
Footnotes
- 18:9 Lit master of destruction
Proverbs 18:9
New Living Translation
9 A lazy person is as bad as
someone who destroys things.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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.