The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
Parallel translations
- WEB The soul of the sluggard desires, and has nothing, but the desire of the diligent shall be fully satisfied.
- BSB The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
- NKJV The soul of a lazy man desires, and has nothing; But the soul of the diligent shall be made rich.
- NASB The soul of the lazy one craves and gets nothing, But the soul of the diligent is made prosperous.
- NLT Lazy people want much but get little, but those who work hard will prosper.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The sluggard craves but gets nothing, while the diligent are fully satisfied. Mere wanting accomplishes nothing without diligent effort.
Overview
The proverb contrasts the sluggard, whose desires go unmet because he will not work, with the diligent, whose efforts bring full satisfaction. It exposes the emptiness of desire without labor. This reflects God's good design for diligent work and stewardship, encouraging believers to pair their hopes with faithful effort.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Prov 12:24The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
- Prov 12:11He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.
- 2 Pet 1:5–11And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
- Prov 10:4He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
- Prov 2:2–9So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
- Prov 11:25The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.
- Prov 28:25He that is of a proud heart stirreth up strife: but he that putteth his trust in the LORD shall be made fat.
- John 6:27Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
- Heb 6:11And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:
- Prov 8:34Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors.
- Prov 26:13The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
- Isa 58:11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.
- Num 23:10Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
- Ps 92:14They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;
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Christ at the center
Wisdom personified, with God before creation and the agent of all things, anticipates Christ 'in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom' — the wisdom of God made flesh.
How Proverbs 13:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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