(A)Go to (B)the ant, O (C)sluggard;
    consider her ways, and (D)be wise.
(E)Without having any chief,
    (F)officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread (G)in summer
    and (H)gathers her food in harvest.
(I)How long will you lie there, (J)O sluggard?
    When will you arise from your sleep?
10 (K)A little sleep, a little slumber,
    (L)a little (M)folding of the hands to rest,
11 (N)and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
    and want like an armed man.

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Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones.
    Learn from their ways and become wise!
Though they have no prince
    or governor or ruler to make them work,
they labor hard all summer,
    gathering food for the winter.
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.

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A slack hand (A)causes poverty,
    (B)but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

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Lazy people are soon poor;
    hard workers get rich.

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He who (A)gathers in summer is a prudent son,
    but he who sleeps in harvest is (B)a son who brings shame.

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A wise youth harvests in the summer,
    but one who sleeps during harvest is a disgrace.

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26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,
    so is the sluggard to those who send him.

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26 Lazy people irritate their employers,
    like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.

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11 (A)Whoever works his land (B)will have plenty of bread,
    (C)but he who follows (D)worthless pursuits lacks sense.

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11 A hard worker has plenty of food,
    but a person who chases fantasies has no sense.

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24 (A)The hand of the diligent will rule,
    while the slothful will be (B)put to forced labor.

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24 Work hard and become a leader;
    be lazy and become a slave.

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27 (A)Whoever is slothful will not roast his game,
    but the diligent man will get precious wealth.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 12:27 Or but diligence is precious wealth

27 Lazy people don’t even cook the game they catch,
    but the diligent make use of everything they find.

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(A)The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,
    while the soul of the diligent (B)is richly supplied.

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Lazy people want much but get little,
    but those who work hard will prosper.

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11 (A)Wealth gained hastily[a] will dwindle,
    but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 13:11 Or by fraud

11 Wealth from get-rich-quick schemes quickly disappears;
    wealth from hard work grows over time.

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Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
    but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

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Without oxen a stable stays clean,
    but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.

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19 The way of (A)a sluggard is like a hedge of (B)thorns,
    but the path of the upright is (C)a level highway.

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19 A lazy person’s way is blocked with briers,
    but the path of the upright is an open highway.

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26 A worker's appetite works for him;
    his (A)mouth urges him on.

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26 It is good for workers to have an appetite;
    an empty stomach drives them on.

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