Proverbs 6:6

The Message

You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!

Cross References

Proverbs 10:26

A lazy employee will give you nothing but trouble; it’s vinegar in the mouth, smoke in the eyes.

Proverbs 10:4

Sloth makes you poor; diligence brings wealth.

Proverbs 13:4

Indolence wants it all and gets nothing; the energetic have something to show for their lives.

Proverbs 15:19

The path of lazy people is overgrown with briers; the diligent walk down a smooth road.

Proverbs 18:9

Slack habits and sloppy work are as bad as vandalism.

Proverbs 19:15

Life collapses on loafers; lazybones go hungry.

Proverbs 19:24

Some people dig a fork into the pie but are too lazy to raise it to their mouth.

Proverbs 20:4

A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall.

Proverbs 21:25

Lazy people finally die of hunger because they won’t get up and go to work.

Proverbs 22:13

The loafer says, “There’s a lion on the loose! If I go out I’ll be eaten alive!”

Proverbs 23:19

Oh listen, dear child—become wise; point your life in the right direction. Don’t drink too much wine and get drunk; don’t eat too much food and get fat. Drunks and gluttons will end up on skid row, in a stupor and dressed in rags.

Proverbs 30:24

There are four small creatures, wisest of the wise they are— ants—frail as they are, get plenty of food in for the winter; marmots—vulnerable as they are, manage to arrange for rock-solid homes; locusts—leaderless insects, yet they strip the field like an army regiment; lizards—easy enough to catch, but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

Matthew 25:26

“The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

Romans 12:11

Don’t burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don’t quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.