Bible Verses About Lazy People

“The slacker craves yet has nothing, but the soul of the diligent is fully satisfied.”

“How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”

“The slacker buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.”

“The slacker does not plow in season; at harvest time he looks, but nothing is there.”

“The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.”

“For you hate My instruction and cast My words behind you.”

“There is profit in all labor, but mere talk leads only to poverty.”

“Make every effort to present yourself approved to God, an unashamed workman who accurately handles the word of truth.”

“For it is just like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted them with his possessions. To one he gave five talents, to another two talents, and to another one talent — each according to his own ability. And he went on his journey. The servant who had received the five talents went at once and put them to work and gained five more. Likewise, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the servant who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The servant who had received the five talents came and presented five more. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ The servant who had received the two talents also came and said, ‘Master, you entrusted me with two talents. See, I have gained two more.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’ Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

“A wise son heeds his father’s discipline, but a mocker does not listen to rebuke.”

“Whoever is slothful in his work is brother to him who destroys.”

“Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the slacker to those who send him.”

“Laziness brings on deep sleep, and an idle soul will suffer hunger.”

“The way of the slacker is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.”

“You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.”

“A lazy man does not roast his game, but a diligent man prizes his possession.”

“Do not love sleep, or you will grow poor; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of food.”

“Walk in the manner of the ant, O slacker; observe its ways and become wise. Without a commander, without an overseer or ruler, it prepares its provisions in summer; it gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, O slacker? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”

“So He said, “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to lay claim to his kingship and then return. Beforehand, he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Conduct business with this until I return,’ he said. But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ When he returned from procuring his kingship, he summoned the servants to whom he had given the money, to find out what each one had earned. The first servant came forward and said, ‘Master, your mina has produced ten more minas.’ His master replied, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very small matter, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ The second servant came and said, ‘Master, your mina has made five minas.’ And to this one he said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’ Then another servant came and said, ‘Master, here is your mina, which I have laid away in a piece of cloth. For I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man. You withdraw what you did not deposit and reap what you did not sow.’ His master replied, ‘You wicked servant, I will judge you by your own words. So you knew that I am a harsh man, withdrawing what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not deposit my money in the bank, and upon my return I could have collected it with interest?’ Then he told those standing by, ‘Take the mina from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’ ‘Master,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’ He replied, ‘ I tell you that everyone who has will be given more; but the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”

“I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”

“Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. He who gathers in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.”

“The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”

“Through laziness the roof caves in, and in the hands of the idle, the house leaks.”

“Then you will not be sluggish, but will imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.”

“Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and encourage with every form of patient instruction. For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires. So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.”

“The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!” As a door turns on its hinges, so the slacker turns on his bed. The slacker buries his hand in the dish; it wearies him to bring it back to his mouth. The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.”

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways.”

“He who guards his mouth protects his life, but the one who opens his lips invites his own ruin.”

“Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.”

“He 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.”

“The slacker is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer discreetly.”

“Keep falsehood and deceitful words far from me. Give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the bread that is my portion.”

‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed.”

“The plans of the diligent bring plenty, as surely as haste leads to poverty.”

“Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.”

“Do not envy wicked men or desire their company; for their hearts devise violence, and their lips declare trouble. By wisdom a house is built and by understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with every precious and beautiful treasure. A wise man is strong, and a man of knowledge enhances his strength. Only with sound guidance should you wage war, and victory lies in a multitude of counselors. Wisdom is too high for a fool; he does not open his mouth in the meeting place. He who plots evil will be called a schemer. A foolish scheme is sin, and a mocker is detestable to men. If you faint in the day of distress, how small is your strength! Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter. If you say, “Behold, we did not know about this,” does not He who weighs hearts consider it? Does not the One who guards your life know? Will He not repay a man according to his deeds? Eat honey, my son, for it is good, and the honeycomb is sweet to your taste. Know therefore that wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future for you, and your hope will never be cut off. Do not lie in wait, O wicked man, near the dwelling of the righteous; do not destroy his resting place. For though a righteous man may fall seven times, he still gets up; but the wicked stumble in bad times. Do not gloat when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart rejoice when he stumbles, or the LORD will see and disapprove, and turn His wrath away from him. Do not fret over evildoers, and do not be envious of the wicked. For the evil man has no future; the lamp of the wicked will be extinguished. My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious. For they will bring sudden destruction. Who knows what ruin they can bring? These also are sayings of the wise: To show partiality in judgment is not good. Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”— peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him; but it will go well with those who convict the guilty, and rich blessing will come upon them. An honest answer given is like a kiss on the lips. Complete your outdoor work and prepare your field; after that, you may build your house. Do not testify against your neighbor without cause, and do not deceive with your lips. Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to me; I will repay the man according to his work.” I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and need like a bandit.”

“For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” For we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives, accomplishing nothing, but being busybodies. We command and urge such people by our Lord Jesus Christ to begin working quietly to earn their own living.”

“The craving of the slacker kills him because his hands refuse to work. All day long he covets more, but the righteous give without restraint.”

“Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

“For at that time there will be great tribulation, unseen from the beginning of the world until now, and never to be seen again.”

“Finally, the servant who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what belongs to you.’ ‘You wicked, lazy servant!’ replied his master. ‘You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed. Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received it back with interest. Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. And throw that worthless servant into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

“Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.”

“And do not neglect to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”

“These are the proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel, for gaining wisdom and discipline, for comprehending words of insight, and for receiving instruction in wise living and in righteousness, justice, and equity. To impart prudence to the simple and knowledge and discretion to the young, let the wise listen and gain instruction, and the discerning acquire wise counsel by understanding the proverbs and parables, the sayings and riddles of the wise. The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction, and do not forsake the teaching of your mother. For they are a garland of grace on your head and a pendant around your neck. My son, if sinners entice you, do not yield to them. If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause, let us swallow them alive like Sheol, and whole like those descending into the Pit. We will find all manner of precious goods; we will fill our houses with plunder. Throw in your lot with us; let us all share one purse” — my son, do not walk the road with them or set foot upon their path. For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood. How futile it is to spread the net where any bird can see it! But they lie in wait for their own blood; they ambush their own lives. Such is the fate of all who are greedy, whose unjust gain takes the lives of its possessors. Wisdom calls out in the street, she lifts her voice in the square; in the main concourse she cries aloud, at the city gates she makes her speech: “How long, O simple ones, will you love your simple ways? How long will scoffers delight in their scorn and fools hate knowledge? If you had repented at my rebuke, then surely I would have poured out my spirit on you; I would have made my words known to you. Because you refused my call, and no one took my outstretched hand, because you neglected all my counsel, and wanted none of my correction, in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you, when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you. Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the LORD. They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them. But whoever listens to me will dwell in safety, secure from the fear of evil.”

“But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.”

“Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.”

“So because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to vomit you out of My mouth!”

“The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies lacks judgment.”

“While it is daytime, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”