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

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15 Laziness brings on deep sleep;
    a slacker goes hungry.

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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 Lazy people bury their hand in the bowl;
    they won’t even put it to their 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

The lazy don’t plow during winter;
    at harvest they look but find 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 Don’t love sleep or you will be poor;
    stay alert and you will have plenty to eat.

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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 the diligent end up in profit,
    but those who hurry end up with loss.

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25 A slacker’s craving will kill him
because his hands refuse to work.(A)

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25 The desires of the lazy will kill them,
    because their hands refuse to do anything.

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30 I went by the field of a slacker
and by the vineyard of one lacking sense.
31 Thistles had come up everywhere,
weeds covered the ground,(A)
and the stone wall was ruined.
32 I saw, and took it to heart;
I looked, and received instruction:
33 a little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the arms to rest,
34 and your poverty will come like a robber,
and your need, like a bandit.(B)

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30 I happened upon the field of a lazy person,
    by the vineyard of one with no sense.
31 Thorns grew all over it;
    weeds covered the ground,
    and the stone wall was falling down.
32 I observed this and took it to heart;
    I saw it and learned a lesson.
33 “A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little lying down with folded arms”—
34     and poverty will come on you like a prowler,
    deprivation like a man with a shield.

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13 The slacker says, “There’s a lion in the road—
a lion in the public square!” (A)
14 A door turns on its hinges,
and a slacker, on his bed.(B)
15 The slacker buries his hand in the bowl;
he is too weary to bring it to his mouth!(C)
16 In his own eyes, a slacker is wiser(D)
than seven who can answer sensibly.

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13 A lazy person says, “There’s a lion in the path!
    A lion in the plazas!”
14 As a door turns on its hinge,
    so do lazy people in their beds.
15 Lazy people bury their hand into the bowl,
    too tired to return it to their mouth.
16 Lazy people think they are wiser
    than seven people who answer sensibly.

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19 The one who works his land
will have plenty of food,(A)
but whoever chases fantasies
will have his fill of poverty.(B)

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19 Those who work the land will have plenty to eat,
    but those with worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.

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