10“A little sleep, a little slumber,
         A little folding of the hands to rest”—

11Your poverty will come in like a vagabond
         And your need like an armed man.

12A worthless person, a wicked man,
         Is the one who walks with a perverse mouth,

13Who winks with his eyes, who signals with his feet,
         Who points with his fingers;

14Who with perversity in his heart continually devises evil,
         Who spreads strife.

15Therefore his calamity will come suddenly;
         Instantly he will be broken and there will be no healing.

16There are six things which the LORD hates,
         Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him:

17Haughty eyes, a lying tongue,
         And hands that shed innocent blood,

18A heart that devises wicked plans,
         Feet that run rapidly to evil,

19A false witness who utters lies,
         And one who spreads strife among brothers.

20My son, observe the commandment of your father
         And do not forsake the teaching of your mother;

21Bind them continually on your heart;
         Tie them around your neck.

22When you walk about, they will guide you;
         When you sleep, they will watch over you;
         And when you awake, they will talk to you.

23For the commandment is a lamp and the teaching is light;
         And reproofs for discipline are the way of life

24To keep you from the evil woman,
         From the smooth tongue of the adulteress.

25Do not desire her beauty in your heart,
         Nor let her capture you with her eyelids.

26For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread,
         And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.

27Can a man take fire in his bosom
         And his clothes not be burned?

28Or can a man walk on hot coals
         And his feet not be scorched?

29So is the one who goes in to his neighbor’s wife;
         Whoever touches her will not go unpunished.

30Men do not despise a thief if he steals
         To satisfy himself when he is hungry;

31But when he is found, he must repay sevenfold;
         He must give all the substance of his house.

32The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense;
         He who would destroy himself does it.

33Wounds and disgrace he will find,
         And his reproach will not be blotted out.

34For jealousy enrages a man,
         And he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

35He will not accept any ransom,
         Nor will he be satisfied though you give many gifts.

Parallel Verses

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
How long will you lie down, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep?

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
How long will you lie there, you lazy bum? When will you get up from your sleep?

King James Bible
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Douay-Rheims Bible
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou rise out of thy sleep?

Darby Bible Translation
How long, sluggard, wilt thou lie down? When wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

English Revised Version
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

Webster's Bible Translation
How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?

World English Bible
How long will you sleep, sluggard? When will you arise out of your sleep?

Young's Literal Translation
Till when, O slothful one, dost thou lie? When dost thou arise from thy sleep?

Cross References

Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, O sluggard, Observe her ways and be wise,

Proverbs 6:8 Prepares her food in the summer And gathers her provision in the harvest.

Proverbs 6:10 "A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest "--

Proverbs 19:15 Laziness casts into a deep sleep, And an idle man will suffer hunger.

Proverbs 20:13 Do not love sleep, or you will become poor; Open your eyes, and you will be satisfied with food.

Proverbs 26:14 As the door turns on its hinges, So does the sluggard on his bed.

Commentary

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

Verses 6-11

Solomon, in these verses, addresses himself to the sluggard who loves his ease, lives in idleness, minds no business, sticks to nothing, brings nothing to pass, and in a particular manner is careless in the business of religion. Slothfulness is as sure a way to poverty, though not so short a way, as rash suretiship. He speaks here to the sluggard,

I. By way of instruction, v. 6-8. He sends him to school, for sluggards must be schooled. He is to take him to school himself, for, if the scholar will take no pains, the master must take the more; the sluggard is not willing to come to school to him (dreaming scholars will never love wakeful teachers) and therefore he has found him out another school, as low as he can desire. Observe,

1. The master he is sent to school to: Go to the ant, to the bee, so the Septuagint. Man is taught more than the beasts of the earth, and made wiser that the fowls of heaven, and yet is so degenerated that he may learn wisdom from the meanest insects and be shamed by them. When we observe the wonderful sagacities of the inferior creatures we must not only give glory to the God of nature, who has made them thus strangely, but receive instruction to ourselves; by spiritualizing common things, we may make the things of God both easy and ready to us, and converse with them daily.

2. The application of mind that is required in order to learn of this master: Consider her ways. The sluggard is so because he does not consider; nor shall we ever learn to any purpose, either by the word or the works of God, unless we set ourselves to consider. Particularly, if we would imitate others in that which is good, we must consider their ways, diligently observe what they do, that we may do likewise, Phil. 3:17.

3. The lesson that is to be learned. In general, learn wisdom, consider, and be wise; that is the thing we are to aim at in all our learning, not only to be knowing, but to be wise. In particular, learn to provide meat in summer; that is, (1.) We must prepare for hereafter, and not mind the present time only, not eat up all, and lay up nothing, but in gathering time treasure up for a spending time. Thus provident we must be in our worldly affairs, not with an anxious care, but with a prudent foresight; lay in for winter, for straits and wants that may happen, and for old age; much more in the affairs of our souls. We must provide meat and food, that which is substantial and will stand us in stead, and which we shall most need. In the enjoyment of the means of grace provide for the want of them, in life for death, in time for eternity; in the state of probation and preparation we must provide for the state of retribution. (2.) We must take pains, and labour in our business, yea, though we labour under inconveniences. Even in summer, when the weather is hot, the ant is busy in gathering food and laying it up, and does not indulge her ease, nor take her pleasure, as the grasshopper, that sings and sports in the summer and then perishes in the winter. The ants help one another; if one have a grain of corn too big for her to carry home, her neighbours will come in to her assistance. (3.) We must improve opportunities, we must gather when it is to be had, as the ant does in summer and harvest, in the proper time. It is our wisdom to improve the season while that favours us, because that may be done then which cannot be done at all, or not so well done, at another time. Walk while you have the light.

4. The advantages which we have of learning this lesson above what the ant has, which will aggravate our slothfulness and neglect if we idle away our time. She has no guides, overseers, and rulers, but does it of herself, following the instinct of nature; the more shame for us who do not in like manner follow the dictates of our own reason and conscience, though besides them we have parents, masters, ministers, magistrates, to put us in mind of our duty, to check us for the neglect of it, to quicken us to it, to direct us in it, and to call us to an account about it. The greater helps we have for working out our salvation the more inexcusable shall we be if we neglect it.

II. By way of reproof, v. 9-11. In these verses,

1. He expostulates with the sluggard, rebuking him and reasoning with him, calling him to his work, as a master does his servant that has over-slept himself: "How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? How long wouldst thou sleep if one would let thee alone? When wilt thou think it time to arise?" Sluggards should be roused with a How long? This is applicable, (1.) To those that are slothful in the way of work and duty, in the duties of their particular calling as men or their general calling as Christians. "How long wilt thou waste thy time, and when wilt thou be a better husband of it? How long wilt thou love thy ease, and when wilt thou learn to deny thyself, and to take pains? How long wilt thou bury thy talents, and when wilt thou begin to trade with them? How long wilt thou delay, and put off, and trifle away thy opportunities, as one regardless of hereafter; and when wilt thou stir up thyself to do what thou hast to do, which, if it be not done, will leave thee for ever undone?" (2.) To those that are secure in the way of sin and danger: "Hast thou not slept enough? Is it not far in the day? Does not thy Master call? Are not the Philistines upon thee? When then wilt thou arise?"

2. He exposes the frivolous excuses he makes for himself, and shows how ridiculous he makes himself. When he is roused he stretched himself, and begs, as for alms, for more sleep, more slumber; he is well in his warm bed, and cannot endure to think of rising, especially of rising to work. But, observe, he promises himself and his master that he will desire but a little more sleep, a little more slumber, and then he will get up and go to his business. But herein he deceives himself; the more a slothful temper is indulged the more it prevails; let him sleep awhile, and slumber awhile, and still he is in the same tune; still he asks for a little more sleep, yet a little more; he never thinks he has enough, and yet, when he is called, pretends he will come presently. Thus men's great work is left undone by being put off yet a little longer, de die in diem-from day to day; and they are cheated of all their time by being cheated of the present moments. A little more sleep proves an everlasting sleep. Sleep on now, and take your rest.

3. He gives him fair warning of the fatal consequences of his slothfulness, v. 11. (1.) Poverty and want will certainly come upon those that are slothful in their business. If men neglect their affairs, they not only will not go forward, but they will go backward. He that leaves his concerns at sixes and sevens will soon see them go to wreck and ruin, and bring his noble to nine-pence. Spiritual poverty comes upon those that are slothful in the service of God; those will want oil, when they should use it, that provide it not in their vessels. (2.) "It will come silently and insensibly, will grow upon thee, and come step by step, as one that travels, but will without fail come at last." It will leave thee as naked as if thou wert stripped by a highwayman; so bishop Patrick. (3.) "It will come irresistibly, like an armed man, whom thou canst not oppose nor make thy part good against."

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New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org.

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