Proverbs 6:6-11
Modern English Version
The Folly of Idleness
6 Go to the ant, you sluggard!
Consider her ways and be wise.
7 Which, having no guide,
overseer, or ruler,
8 provides her bread in the summer,
and gathers her food in the harvest.
9 How long will you sleep, O sluggard?
When will you arise out of your sleep?
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to sleep—
11 so will your poverty come upon you like a stalker,
and your need as an armed man.
Proverbs 10:4
Modern English Version
4 He becomes poor who deals with a slack hand,
but the hand of the diligent makes rich.
Proverbs 10:5
Modern English Version
5 He who gathers in summer is a wise son,
but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame.
Proverbs 10:26
Modern English Version
26 As vinegar to the teeth and as smoke to the eyes,
so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Proverbs 12:11
Modern English Version
11 He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread,
but he who follows vain persons is void of understanding.
Proverbs 12:24
Modern English Version
24 The hand of the diligent will rule,
but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
Proverbs 12:27
Modern English Version
27 The slothful man does not roast that which he took in hunting,
but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
Proverbs 13:4
Modern English Version
4 The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing;
but the soul of the diligent will be made fat.
Proverbs 13:11
Modern English Version
11 Wealth gained by vanity will be diminished,
but he who gathers by labor will increase.
Proverbs 14:4
Modern English Version
4 Where no oxen are, the crib is clean;
but much increase is by the strength of the ox.
Proverbs 15:19
Modern English Version
19 The way of the slothful man is as a hedge of thorns,
but the way of the righteous is made plain.
Proverbs 16:26
Modern English Version
26 He who labors, labors for himself,
for his mouth craves it of him.
Proverbs 17:2
Modern English Version
2 A wise servant will have rule over a son who causes shame,
and will have part of the inheritance among the brothers.
Proverbs 18:9
Modern English Version
9 He also who is slothful in his work
is brother to him who is a great waster.
Proverbs 19:15
Modern English Version
15 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep,
and an idle soul will suffer hunger.
Proverbs 19:24
Modern English Version
24 A slothful man hides his hand in his bowl,
and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
Proverbs 20:4
Modern English Version
4 The sluggard will not plow because of the cold;
therefore he will beg during harvest and have nothing.
Proverbs 20:13
Modern English Version
13 Do not love sleep, lest you come to poverty;
open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with bread.
Proverbs 21:5
Modern English Version
5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenty,
but of everyone who is hasty only to want.
Proverbs 21:17
Modern English Version
17 He who loves pleasure will be a poor man;
he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
Proverbs 21:25-26
Modern English Version
25 The desire of the slothful kills him,
for his hands refuse to labor.
26 He covets greedily all the day long,
but the righteous gives and does not spare.
Proverbs 22:13
Modern English Version
13 The slothful man says, “There is a lion without!
I will be slain in the streets!”
Proverbs 22:29
Modern English Version
Saying Six
29 Do you see a man diligent in his business?
He will stand before kings;
he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 24:10
Modern English Version
Saying Twenty-Five
10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.