¹⁸ When no work is done the roof goes in, and when the hands do nothing water comes into the house.

¹ Wisdom is building her house, but the foolish woman is pulling it down with her hands.

⁴ The hater of work will not do his ploughing because of the winter; so at the time of grain-cutting he will be requesting food and will get nothing.

²⁴ The hand of the ready worker will have authority, but he who is slow in his work will be put to forced work.

²⁵ The desire of the hater of work is death to him, for his hands will do no work.

²¹ For those who take delight in drink and feasting will come to be in need; and through love of sleep a man will be poorly clothed.

³⁰ I went by the field of the hater of work, and by the vine-garden of the man without sense;

³¹ And it was all full of thorns, and covered with waste plants, and its stone wall was broken down.

³² Then looking at it, I gave thought: I saw, and I got teaching from it.

³³ A little sleep, a little rest, a little folding of the hands in sleep:

³⁴ So loss will come on you like an outlaw, and your need like an armed man.

¹¹ And it is our desire that you may all keep the same high purpose in certain hope to the end:

⁵ So, for this very cause, take every care; joining virtue to faith, and knowledge to virtue,

⁶ And self-control to knowledge, and a quiet mind to self-control, and fear of God to a quiet mind,

⁷ And love of the brothers to fear of God, and to love of the brothers, love itself.

⁸ For if you have these things in good measure, they will make you fertile and full of fruit in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁹ For the man who has not these things is blind, seeing only what is near, having no memory of how he was made clean from his old sins.

¹⁰ For this reason, my brothers, take all the more care to make your selection and approval certain; for if you do these things you will never have a fall: