New International Version
Proverbs 12:24
24Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
Proverbs 12:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
- English Standard Version (ESV)The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.
- New King James Version (NKJV)The hand of the diligent will rule, But the lazy man will be put to forced labor.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
Context of Proverbs 12:24
22The Lord detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy. 23The prudent keep their knowledge to themselves, but a fool’s heart blurts out folly. Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor. 25Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up. 26The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.
Read all of Proverbs 12Proverbs 12:24 word by word
יַד־חָרוּצִ֥ים תִּמְשׁ֑וֹל ו֝רְמִיָּ֗ה תִּהְיֶ֥ה לָמַֽס׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Proverbs 12:24
- Proverbs 10:4Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.
- Proverbs 13:4A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
- Proverbs 17:2A prudent servant will rule over a disgraceful son and will share the inheritance as one of the family.
- Proverbs 22:29Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.
- 1 Kings 11:28Now Jeroboam was a man of standing, and when Solomon saw how well the young man did his work, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the tribes of Joseph.
- 1 Kings 12:20When all the Israelites heard that Jeroboam had returned, they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the house of David.
- Proverbs 12:27The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.
- Proverbs 19:15Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
- Proverbs 21:25The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
- Proverbs 22:13The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the public square!”
- Proverbs 24:30I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
- Proverbs 26:13A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”
Commentaries on Proverbs 12:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24The hand of the diligent shall bear rule - And why? because by his own industry he is independent; and every such person is respected wherever found.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 24Verse 24 Those who will not take pains in an honest calling, living by tricks and dishonesty, are paltry and beggarly.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2424. slothful--(Compare Margin), so called because he fails to meet his promises. under tribute--not denoting legal taxes, but the obligation of dependence.Read the comment
Topics related to Proverbs 12:24
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Proverbs 12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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