What are some Bible verses about idleness?
Idleness refers to wastefulness, laziness, or refusal to work. The Bible has a lot to say about being idle and not using our time productively. Here are some key Bible verses about idleness:
Proverbs 10:4-5 – “A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.” This warns that being lazy and not working hard leads to poverty and shame.
Proverbs 12:24 – “The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.” This contrasts the diligent person who prospers with the lazy person who ends up in forced labor.
Proverbs 12:27 – “Whoever is slothful will not roast his game, but the diligent man will get precious wealth.” Again emphasizes that hard work pays off while laziness leads nowhere.
Proverbs 13:4 – “The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.” The lazy person craves but gets nothing, while the diligent is rewarded.
Proverbs 15:19 – “The way of a sluggard is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a level highway.” Being lazy is like traveling through obstacles, while being diligent smooths the path.
Proverbs 18:9 – “Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.” Being lazy is equated to destroying what you have.
Proverbs 19:15 – “Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and an idle person will suffer hunger.” Laziness leads to poverty and hunger.
Proverbs 19:24 – “The sluggard buries his hand in the dish and will not even bring it back to his mouth.” Being so lazy you can’t even feed yourself.
Proverbs 20:4 – “The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.” Not doing the work needed at the right time means you’ll have nothing later.
Proverbs 20:13 – “Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.” Being lazy and sleeping too much leads to poverty.
Proverbs 21:25 – “The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.” Laziness can be self-destructive.
Proverbs 22:13 – “The sluggard says, ‘There is a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!’” The lazy person makes excuses to avoid work.
Proverbs 24:30-34 – This passage describes the field of the lazy person overgrown with thorns and weeds, emphasizing that laziness leads to ruin.
Proverbs 26:13-16 – The lazy person makes excuses like there being a lion in the streets or that they are wiser than seven men. More excuses.
Ecclesiastes 10:18 – “Through laziness the roof sinks in, and through idleness of hands the house leaks.” Being lazy means not maintaining your home properly.
Matthew 25:14-30 – The parable of the talents, where the servant who was lazy and didn’t invest his talent is called wicked and worthless. Not using our gifts is condemned.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 – “For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies.” We are commanded to work and warned against idle busybodies.
Proverbs 16:26 – A worker’s appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on. Hard work leads to prosperity.
Proverbs 18:9 – Whoever is slothful in his work is a brother to him who destroys. Being lazy destroys productivity.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going. We should work diligently in this life.
Titus 1:12 – One of the Cretans, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” Condemns laziness and gluttony.
Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty. Diligence leads to prosperity.
2 Thessalonians 3:6-12 – Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us, because we were not idle when we were with you, nor did we eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you. It was not because we do not have that right, but to give you in ourselves an example to imitate. For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
Proverbs 6:6–11 – Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise 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 want like an armed man.
Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
Proverbs 20:4 – The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.
Proverbs 12:11 – Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.
Proverbs 28:19 – Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits will have plenty of poverty.
Proverbs 14:23 – In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.
Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 – And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
Ephesians 4:28 – Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.
Proverbs 21:25 – The desire of the sluggard kills him, for his hands refuse to labor.
Proverbs 24:30-34 – I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; 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 want like an armed man.
1 Timothy 5:8 – But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Proverbs 10:26 – Like vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to those who send him.
Proverbs 26:13-16 – The sluggard says, “There is a lion in the road! There is a lion in the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so does a sluggard on his bed. The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; it wears him out to bring it back to his mouth. The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.
Proverbs 6:9-11 – How long will you lie there, you sluggard? 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 on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
Proverbs 13:4 – A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
Proverbs 15:19 – The way of the sluggard is blocked with thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway.
2 Thessalonians 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”
Proverbs 22:13 – The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I’ll be killed in the streets!”
Proverbs 21:25 – The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
Ecclesiastes 4:5 – The fool folds his hands and ruins himself.
Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
Proverbs 20:13 – Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Proverbs 23:21 – for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.
2 Thessalonians 3:11-12 – We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.
Proverbs 12:11 – Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.
Proverbs 12:24 – Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in slave labor.
Proverbs 13:23 – An unplowed field produces food for the poor, but injustice sweeps it away.
Proverbs 14:4 – Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.
Proverbs 18:9 – One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
Proverbs 20:13 – Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.
Proverbs 21:25 – The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
Proverbs 22:29 – Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Proverbs 24:30-34 – I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
1 Timothy 5:8 – Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Titus 1:12 – One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
Hebrews 6:12 – We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
Proverbs 12:14 – From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.
Proverbs 12:24 – Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.
Proverbs 13:4 – A sluggard’s appetite is never filled, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied.
Proverbs 14:23 – All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.
Proverbs 18:9 – One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.
Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.
Proverbs 19:24 – The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth!
Proverbs 20:4 – Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.
Proverbs 21:25 – The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.
Proverbs 22:29 – Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve before kings; he will not serve before obscure men.
Proverbs 24:30-34 – I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense; thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins. I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw: A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest— and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.
Proverbs 26:13-16 – A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!” As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed. A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth. A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.
Ecclesiastes 10:18 – Through laziness, the rafters sag; because of idle hands, the house leaks.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
1 Timothy 5:8 – Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Titus 1:12 – One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons.”
Hebrews 6:12 – We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.
In summary, the Bible contains many verses warning against laziness, idleness, and living off of others’ hard work. We are called to work heartily, be diligent, and not be sluggards. Hard work and diligence are portrayed as virtues that lead to prosperity, while idleness leads to poverty and ruin. As Christians we must avoid laziness and work diligently using the gifts God has given us.