The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Parallel translations
- WEB The plans of the diligent surely lead to profit; and everyone who is hasty surely rushes to poverty.
- KJV The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
- ESV The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.
- NKJV The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
- NASB The plans of the diligent certainly lead to advantage, But everyone who is in a hurry certainly comes to poverty.
- NLT Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Diligent planning leads to profit, but hasty action leads to poverty. It matters as a call to careful, steady industry rather than impulsiveness.
Overview
Thoughtful diligence yields gain, while reckless haste brings loss (Proverbs 10:4; 13:11). The contrast commends patient, prudent labor over impulsive shortcuts. Wisdom plans wisely and works steadily, trusting God to bless faithful effort.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Prov 13:4The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.
- Prov 10:4Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.
- Eph 4:28He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing good with his own hands, that he may have something to share with the one in need.
- Prov 27:23–27Be sure to know the state of your flocks, and pay close attention to your herds;
- 1 Th 4:11–12and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.
- Prov 14:29A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.
- Prov 28:22A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty awaits him.
- Prov 20:21An inheritance gained quickly will not be blessed in the end.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 21:5 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.