Proverbs 6:6–8

⁴The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.

⁹He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.

⁴The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.

⁹How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

¹²That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

²⁶His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:

²⁵The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;

¹¹Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;

¹³The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.

¹⁴As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.

¹⁵The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.

¹⁵Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.

²⁵The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.

⁷But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee:

⁸Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee.

¹³The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.

³⁰I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;

³¹And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.

³²Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

³³Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:

³⁴So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

²⁶As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.

²⁶Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

¹⁹The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

²⁴A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.

³The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider.

¹⁷Surely in vain the net is spread in the sight of any bird.

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²⁷The locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands;

²⁶Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?

²⁷Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?

²⁸She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.

²⁹From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.

³⁰Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.

⁴Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

⁵Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

⁶Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

⁷Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

⁸Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

⁹Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

¹⁰None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

¹¹Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

¹²I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

¹³Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

¹⁵His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

¹⁶One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

¹⁷They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

¹⁸By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁹Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

²⁰Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

²¹His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

²²In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

²³The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

²⁴His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

²⁵When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

²⁶The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

²⁷He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

²⁹Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.

³⁰Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

³¹He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.

³²He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

³³Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

³⁴He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

⁵He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.

¹⁹Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

²⁵The ants are a people not strong, yet they prepare their meat in the summer;