Work & Diligence

The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.

— Proverbs 12:24 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 13:4 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 14:23 (KJV)

The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.

— Proverbs 21:5 (KJV)

He that tilleth his land shall be satisfied with bread: but he that followeth vain persons is void of understanding.

— Proverbs 12:11 (KJV)

He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.

— Proverbs 28:19 (KJV)

Where no oxen are, the crib is clean: but much increase is by the strength of the ox.

— Proverbs 14:4 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 31:27 (KJV)

Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

— Ecclesiastes 9:10 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 19:15 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 20:13 (KJV)

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

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

32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.

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

34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

— Proverbs 24:30-34 (KJV)

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

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

15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.

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

— Proverbs 26:13-16 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 10:26 (KJV)

The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.

— Proverbs 15:19 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 18:9 (KJV)

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

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

— Proverbs 21:25-26 (KJV)

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

— Proverbs 23:21 (KJV)

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

— Ecclesiastes 10:18 (KJV)

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ;

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart;

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men:

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.

— Ephesians 6:5-8 (KJV)

And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

— Genesis 2:15 (KJV)

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

— Genesis 3:19 (KJV)

And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it.

— Psalms 90:17 (KJV)

For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.

— Psalms 128:2 (KJV)

He that laboureth laboureth for himself; for his mouth craveth it of him.

— Proverbs 16:26 (KJV)

# There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.

— Ecclesiastes 2:24 (KJV)

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

— Ecclesiastes 3:13 (KJV)

The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

— Ecclesiastes 5:12 (KJV)

18 # Behold that which I have seen: it is good and comely for one to eat and to drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labour that he taketh under the sun all the days of his life, which God giveth him: for it is his portion.

19 Every man also to whom God hath given riches and wealth, and hath given him power to eat thereof, and to take his portion, and to rejoice in his labour; this is the gift of God.

— Ecclesiastes 5:18-19 (KJV)

11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

— 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 (KJV)

But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.

— 1 Timothy 5:8 (KJV)

1 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

2 And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

— Acts 18:1-3 (KJV)

33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

— Acts 20:33-35 (KJV)

14 # Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy, whether he be of thy brethren, or of thy strangers that are in thy land within thy gates:

15 At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it: lest he cry against thee unto the LORD, and it be sin unto thee.

— Deuteronomy 24:14-15 (KJV)

# Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong; that useth his neighbour's service without wages, and giveth him not for his work;

— Jeremiah 22:13 (KJV)

And I will come near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith the LORD of hosts.

— Malachi 3:5 (KJV)

And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

— Luke 10:7 (KJV)

For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.

— 1 Timothy 5:18 (KJV)

Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth.

— James 5:4 (KJV)

Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

— Colossians 4:1 (KJV)

And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

— Luke 3:14 (KJV)

13 # Thou shalt not have in thy bag divers weights, a great and a small.

14 Thou shalt not have in thine house divers measures, a great and a small.

15 But thou shalt have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure shalt thou have: that thy days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.

16 For all that do such things, and all that do unrighteously, are an abomination unto the LORD thy God.

— Deuteronomy 25:13-16 (KJV)

A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight.

— Proverbs 11:1 (KJV)

A just weight and balance are the LORD'S: all the weights of the bag are his work.

— Proverbs 16:11 (KJV)

Divers weights, and divers measures, both of them are alike abomination to the LORD.

— Proverbs 20:10 (KJV)

Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.

— Proverbs 20:23 (KJV)

10 # Are there yet the treasures of wickedness in the house of the wicked, and the scant measure that is abominable?

11 Shall I count them pure with the wicked balances, and with the bag of deceitful weights?

— Micah 6:10-11 (KJV)

# He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.

— Hosea 12:7 (KJV)

5 Saying, When will the new moon be gone, that we may sell corn? and the sabbath, that we may set forth wheat, making the ephah small, and the shekel great, and falsifying the balances by deceit?

6 That we may buy the poor for silver, and the needy for a pair of shoes; yea, and sell the refuse of the wheat?

— Amos 8:5-6 (KJV)

Ye shall have just balances, and a just ephah, and a just bath.

— Ezekiel 45:10 (KJV)

# And thou shalt take no gift: for the gift blindeth the wise, and perverteth the words of the righteous.

— Exodus 23:8 (KJV)

Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.

— Deuteronomy 16:19 (KJV)

A wicked man taketh a gift out of the bosom to pervert the ways of judgment.

— Proverbs 17:23 (KJV)

The king by judgment establisheth the land: but he that receiveth gifts overthroweth it.

— Proverbs 29:4 (KJV)

# Surely oppression maketh a wise man mad; and a gift destroyeth the heart.

— Ecclesiastes 7:7 (KJV)

In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.

— Psalms 26:10 (KJV)

30 # And Moses said unto the children of Israel, See, the LORD hath called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah;

31 And he hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship;

32 And to devise curious works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass,

33 And in the cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of wood, to make any manner of cunning work.

34 And he hath put in his heart that he may teach, both he, and Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan.

35 Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

— Exodus 35:30-35 (KJV)

1 Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.

2 And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:

— Exodus 36:1-2 (KJV)

13 # And king Solomon sent and fetched Hiram out of Tyre.

14 He was a widow's son of the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a worker in brass: and he was filled with wisdom, and understanding, and cunning to work all works in brass. And he came to king Solomon, and wrought all his work.

— 1 Kings 7:13-14 (KJV)

13 And now I have sent a cunning man, endued with understanding, of Huram my father's,

14 The son of a woman of the daughters of Dan, and his father was a man of Tyre, skilful to work in gold, and in silver, in brass, in iron, in stone, and in timber, in purple, in blue, and in fine linen, and in crimson; also to grave any manner of graving, and to find out every device which shall be put to him, with thy cunning men, and with the cunning men of my lord David thy father.

— 2 Chronicles 2:13-14 (KJV)

Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

— Proverbs 22:29 (KJV)