The lazy man says, "A lion is outside!
I shall be killed in the streets!"
As the door turns on its hinges,
So the lazy man turns on his bed.
He dips his hand in the dish,
But does not bring it to his mouth!
The lazy man is wiser in his own mind,
Than seven who can answer intelligently.
The way of the lazy is hedged in with thorns,
But the path of the diligent is a well-built highway.

I went by the field of the lazy man,
By the vineyard of him who lacked sense,
It was all overgrown with thorns,
Its surface was covered with nettles,
And its stone wall was broken down.
Then I beheld and reflected,
I saw and received instruction:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest,
And your poverty comes as a robber,
And your want as a well-armed man.