6  ^jGo to ^kthe ant, O ^lsluggard;

consider her ways, and ^mbe wise.

7  ⁿWithout having any chief,

^oofficer, or ruler,

8  she prepares her bread ^pin summer

and ^qgathers her food in harvest.

9  ^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.

4  A slack hand ^jcauses poverty,

^kbut the hand of the diligent makes rich.

5  He who ^lgathers in summer is a prudent son,

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

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

so is the sluggard to those who send him.

11  ^pWhoever works his land ^qwill have plenty of bread,

^rbut he who follows ^sworthless pursuits lacks sense.

24  ^lThe hand of the diligent will rule,

while the slothful will be ^mput to forced labor.

27  ^oWhoever is slothful will not roast his game,

but the diligent man will get precious wealth.¹

4  ^wThe soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

while the soul of the diligent ^xis richly supplied.

11  ^gWealth gained hastily¹ will dwindle,

but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

4  Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,

but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox.

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

but the path of the upright is ^ja level highway.

26  A worker’s appetite works for him;

his ^xmouth urges him on.

2  A servant who deals wisely will rule over ⁿa son who acts shamefully

and ^owill share the inheritance as one of the brothers.

9  Whoever is slack in his work

is a ^hbrother to him who destroys.

15  ^ySlothfulness casts into ^za deep sleep,

and ^aan idle person will suffer hunger.

24  ^oThe sluggard buries his hand in ^pthe dish

and will not even bring it back to his mouth.

4  ^eThe sluggard does not plow in the autumn;

^fhe will seek at harvest and have nothing.

13  ^sLove not sleep, lest you ^tcome to poverty;

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

5  The plans of ^ethe diligent lead surely to abundance,

but everyone who is ^fhasty comes ^gonly to poverty.

17  Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man;

he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.

25  The desire of ^gthe sluggard kills him,

for his hands refuse to labor.

26  All day long he craves and craves,

but the righteous ^hgives and does not hold back.

13  ^jThe sluggard says, “There is a lion outside!

I shall be killed in the streets!”

29  Do you see a man skillful in his work?

He will ^bstand before kings;

he will not stand before obscure men.

10  If you ⁱfaint in the day of adversity,

your strength is small.

27  ^ePrepare your work outside;

get everything ready for yourself in the field,

and after that build your house.

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.

2  It is the glory of God to ⁿconceal things,

but the glory of kings is to ^osearch things out.

13  Like the cold of snow in the time of harvest

is ^ba faithful messenger to those who send him;

he refreshes the soul of his masters.

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.

23  ^yKnow well the condition of your flocks,

and ^ygive attention to your herds,

19  ⁱWhoever works his land will have plenty of bread,

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

24  ^kFour things on earth are small,

but they are exceedingly wise:

25  ^xthe ants are a people not strong,

yet they provide their food in the summer;

26  ^ythe rock badgers are a people not mighty,

yet they make their homes in the cliffs;

27  the locusts have no ^zking,

yet all of them march in ^arank;

28  the lizard you can take in your hands,

yet it is in kings’ palaces.