What Does the Bible Say About Idleness?

“Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:”

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

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

“So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

“He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.”

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

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

“He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.”

“The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute. slothful: or, deceitful”

“The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.”

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

“In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.”

“The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain. is made: Heb. is raised up as a causey”

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

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

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

“The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. cold: or, winter”

“Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.”

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

“He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.”

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

“For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”

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

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

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

“So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man. an: Heb. a man of shield”

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

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

“The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. it grieveth: or, he is weary”

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

“She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.”

“The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.”

“By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.”

“His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber. sleeping: or, dreaming, or, talking in their sleep”

“Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.”

“And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?”

“They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”

“And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin:”

“For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.”

“And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:”

“Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?”

“And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds.”

“(And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.)”

“(For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)”

“For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”

“For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.”