A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son
and share an inheritance among brothers.

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A servant who deals wisely will rule over (A)a son who acts shamefully
    and (B)will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

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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

Whoever is slack in his work
    is a (A)brother to him who destroys.

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15 Laziness induces deep sleep,
and a lazy person will go hungry.(A)

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15 (A)Slothfulness casts into (B)a deep sleep,
    and (C)an idle person will suffer hunger.

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24 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he doesn’t even bring it back to his mouth!(A)

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24 (A)The sluggard buries his hand in (B)the dish
    and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

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The slacker does not plow during planting season;[a]
at harvest time he looks,[b] and there is nothing.(A)

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Footnotes

  1. 20:4 Lit plow in winter
  2. 20:4 Lit inquires

(A)The sluggard does not plow in the autumn;
    (B)he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

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13 Don’t love sleep, or you will become poor;
open your eyes, and you’ll have enough to eat.(A)

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13 (A)Love not sleep, lest you (B)come to poverty;
    open your eyes, and you will have (C)plenty of bread.

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The plans of the diligent certainly lead to profit,
but anyone who is reckless certainly becomes poor.(A)

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The plans of (A)the diligent lead surely to abundance,
    but everyone who is (B)hasty comes (C)only to poverty.

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17 The one who loves pleasure will become poor;
whoever loves wine and oil will not get rich.(A)

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17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;
    he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

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25 A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.(A)
26 He is filled with craving[a] all day long,
but the righteous give and don’t hold back.(B)

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Footnotes

  1. 21:26 Lit He craves a craving

25 The desire of (A)the sluggard kills him,
    for his hands refuse to labor.
26 All day long he craves and craves,
    but the righteous (B)gives and does not hold back.

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13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion outside!
I’ll be killed in the public square!” (A)

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13 (A)The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!
    I shall be killed in the streets!”

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29 Do you see a person skilled in his work?
He will stand in the presence of kings.
He will not stand in the presence of the unknown.(A)

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29 Do you see a man skillful in his work?
    He will (A)stand before kings;
    he will not stand before obscure men.

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10 If you do nothing in a difficult time,
your strength is limited.

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10 If you (A)faint in the day of adversity,
    your strength is small.

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