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Proverbs 6:6-11 (Listen)

jGo to kthe ant, O lsluggard;

consider her ways, and mbe wise.

nWithout having any chief,

oofficer, or ruler,

she prepares her bread pin summer

and qgathers her food in harvest.

rHow long will you lie there, lO sluggard?

When will you arise from your sleep?

10 sA little sleep, a little slumber,

ta little sfolding of the hands to rest,

11 uand poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 10:4-5 (Listen)

A slack hand jcauses poverty,

kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

He who lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

but he who sleeps in harvest is ma son who brings shame.

Proverbs 10:26 (Listen)

26 Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes,

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

Proverbs 12:11 (Listen)

11 pWhoever works his land qwill have plenty of bread,

rbut he who follows sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

Proverbs 12:24 (Listen)

24 lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be mput to forced labor.

Proverbs 12:27 (Listen)

27 oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.1

Footnotes

[1] 12:27 Or but diligence is precious wealth

Proverbs 13:4 (Listen)

wThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent xis richly supplied.

Proverbs 11 (Listen)

11 aA false balance is an abomination to the Lord,

bbut a just weight is his delight.

cWhen pride comes, then comes disgrace,

but with dthe humble is wisdom.

eThe integrity of the upright guides them,

fbut the crookedness of the treacherous destroys them.

gRiches do not profit in the day of wrath,

hbut righteousness delivers from death.

The righteousness of the blameless ikeeps his way straight,

but the wicked falls by his own wickedness.

hThe righteousness of the upright delivers them,

but the treacherous jare taken captive by their lust.

When the wicked dies, his khope will perish,

and lthe expectation of wealth1 perishes too.

mThe righteous is delivered from trouble,

and the wicked walks into it instead.

With his mouth the godless man would destroy his neighbor,

but by knowledge the righteous are delivered.

10 nWhen it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices,

and when the wicked perish there are shouts of gladness.

11 By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted,

but oby the mouth of the wicked pit is overthrown.

12 Whoever qbelittles his neighbor lacks sense,

but a man of understanding remains silent.

13 Whoever rgoes about slandering reveals secrets,

but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered.

14 Where there is sno guidance, a people falls,

sbut in an abundance of counselors there is safety.

15 tWhoever puts up security for a stranger will surely suffer harm,

but he who hates striking hands in pledge is secure.

16 uA gracious woman gets honor,

and vviolent men get riches.

17 wA man who is kind benefits himself,

but a cruel man hurts himself.

18 The wicked earns deceptive wages,

but one who xsows righteousness gets a sure reward.

19 Whoever is steadfast in righteousness ywill live,

but zhe who pursues evil will die.

20 Those of acrooked heart are ban abomination to the Lord,

but those of cblameless ways are dhis delight.

21 eBe assured, fan evil person will not go unpunished,

but gthe offspring of the righteous will be delivered.

22 Like ha gold ring in a pig's snout

is a beautiful woman without discretion.

23 The desire of the righteous ends only in good;

ithe expectation of the wicked in wrath.

24 jOne gives kfreely, yet grows all the richer;

another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.

25 lWhoever brings blessing mwill be enriched,

and none who waters will himself be watered.

26 oThe people curse him who holds back grain,

but pa blessing is on the head of him who qsells it.

27 Whoever diligently seeks good seeks favor,2

but evil comes to rhim who searches for it.

28 Whoever strusts in his riches will fall,

but the righteous will tflourish like a green leaf.

29 Whoever utroubles his own household will vinherit the wind,

and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.

30 The fruit of the righteous is wa tree of life,

and whoever xcaptures souls is wise.

31 If ythe righteous is repaid on earth,

how much more the wicked and the sinner!

Footnotes

[1] 11:7 Or of his strength, or of iniquity
[2] 11:27 Or acceptance

Proverbs 14:23 (Listen)

23 In all toil there is profit,

but mere talk ktends only to poverty.

Proverbs 15:19 (Listen)

19 The way of ha sluggard is like a hedge of ithorns,

but the path of the upright is ja level highway.

Proverbs 18:9 (Listen)

Whoever is slack in his work

is a hbrother to him who destroys.

Proverbs 19:15 (Listen)

15 ySlothfulness casts into za deep sleep,

and aan idle person will suffer hunger.

Proverbs 19:24 (Listen)

24 oThe sluggard buries his hand in pthe dish

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

Proverbs 20:4 (Listen)

eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.

Proverbs 20:13 (Listen)

13 sLove not sleep, lest you tcome to poverty;

open your eyes, and you will have uplenty of bread.

Proverbs 21:5 (Listen)

The plans of ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is fhasty comes gonly to poverty.

Proverbs 21:25 (Listen)

25 The desire of gthe sluggard kills him,

for his hands refuse to labor.

Proverbs 24:30-34 (Listen)

30 hI passed by the field of a sluggard,

by the vineyard of a man ilacking sense,

31 and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns;

the ground was covered with nettles,

and its stone jwall was broken down.

32 Then I saw and kconsidered it;

I looked and received instruction.

33 lA little sleep, a little slumber,

a little folding of the hands to rest,

34 and poverty will come upon you like a robber,

and want like an armed man.

Proverbs 26:13-16 (Listen)

13 lThe sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road!

There is a lion in the streets!”

14 As a door turns on its hinges,

so does a sluggard on his bed.

15 mThe sluggard buries his hand in the dish;

it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth.

16 The sluggard is jwiser in his own eyes

nthan seven men who can answer sensibly.

Proverbs 28:19 (Listen)

19 iWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.