Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men,

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

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

I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.

For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.” Yet we hear that some of you are leading undisciplined lives and 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.

Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be achieved.

Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world

The hand of the diligent will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.

and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you. Then you will behave properly toward outsiders, without being dependent on anyone.

For no word from God will ever fail.”

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.

If anyone does not provide for his own, and especially his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

The hardworking farmer should be the first to partake of the crops.

because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

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

In everything, show yourself to be an example by doing good works. In your teaching show integrity, dignity, and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed to have nothing bad to say about us.

Then the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

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.

In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men,

For when you eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope.

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. A worthless person, a wicked man, walks with a perverse mouth,

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.

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish for us the work of our hands—yes, establish the work of our hands!

For I am the LORD your God, who takes hold of your right hand and tells you: Do not fear, I will help you.

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

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

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Whatever you do, work at it with your whole being, for the Lord and not for men, because you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as your reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will do it.

So too, faith by itself, if it does not result in action, is dead.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

For even while we were with you, we gave you this command: “If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”

Nothing is better for a man than to eat and drink and enjoy his work. I have also seen that this is from the hand of God.

Idle hands make one poor, but diligent hands bring wealth.

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

The LORD will fulfill His purpose for me. O LORD, Your loving devotion endures forever—do not abandon the works of Your hands.

We work hard with our own hands. When we are vilified, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

This is what the LORD says: “Keep your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for the reward for your work will come, declares the LORD. Then your children will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future, declares the LORD, and your children will return to their own land.

For the One whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

Dishonest wealth will dwindle, but what is earned through hard work will be multiplied.

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

“Build houses and settle down. Plant gardens and eat their produce.

A worker’s appetite works for him because his hunger drives him onward.

Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

So we rebuilt the wall until all of it was joined together up to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Do not let your zeal subside; keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer.

A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

Give generously to him, and do not let your heart be grieved when you do so. And because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything to which you put your hand.

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

But those who wait upon the LORD will renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.

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.

Honest scales and balances are from the LORD; all the weights in the bag are His concern.

Surely you and these people with you will wear yourselves out, because the task is too heavy for you. You cannot handle it alone. Now listen to me; I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their causes to Him. Teach them the statutes and laws, and show them the way to live and the work they must do. Furthermore, select capable men from among the people—God-fearing, trustworthy men who are averse to dishonest gain. Appoint them over the people as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. Have these men judge the people at all times. Then they can bring you any major issue, but all minor cases they can judge on their own, so that your load may be lightened as they share it with you. . . .

But as for you, be strong; do not be discouraged, for your work will be rewarded.”

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.

And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground—because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”

Have You not placed a hedge on every side around him and his household and all that he owns? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

But the one who unknowingly does things worthy of punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded.

And God looked upon all that He had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.

I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions. In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.

Do not oppress a hired hand who is poor and needy, whether he is a brother or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

Whoever is faithful with very little will also be faithful with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

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 to settle 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.’ . . .

Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ. And do this not only to please them while they are watching, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart. Serve with good will, as to the Lord and not to men, because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. And masters, do the same for your slaves. Give up your use of threats, because you know that He who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no favoritism with Him.

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, . . .

I sent you to reap what you have not worked for; others have done the hard work, and now you have taken up their labor.”

By fruitful speech a man is filled with good things, and the work of his hands returns to him.

For they cannot sleep unless they do evil; they are deprived of slumber until they make someone fall.

Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, women who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet my beloved Persis, who has worked very hard in the Lord.

As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And most of the brothers, confident in the Lord by my chains, now dare more greatly to speak the word without fear.

Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.

When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap all the way to the edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and the foreign resident. I am the LORD your God.’”

Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.

A man of knowledge restrains his words, and a man of understanding maintains a calm spirit.

Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments.

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and do good while they live, and also that every man should eat and drink and find satisfaction in all his labor—this is the gift of God.

Here is what I have seen to be good and fitting: to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of life that God has given him—for this is his lot. Furthermore, God has given riches and wealth to every man, and He has enabled him to enjoy them, to accept his lot, and to rejoice in his labor. This is a gift from God. For a man seldom considers the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the joy of his heart.

Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to restrain yourself.

He who plants and he who waters are one in purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor.

Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The one who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the one who loves God is known by God. So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many so-called gods and lords), . . .

But exhort one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly to the end the assurance we had at first.

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.

The LORD will decree a blessing on your barns and on everything to which you put your hand; the LORD your God will bless you in the land He is giving you.

To everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven: a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot, a time to kill and a time to heal, a time to break down and a time to build, a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance, a time to cast away stones and a time to gather stones together, a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, . . .

In the night, O LORD, I remember Your name, that I may keep Your law.

Do not work for food that perishes, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval.”

No, I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.” From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

On many past occasions and in many different ways, God spoke to our fathers through the prophets. But in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. So He became as far superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is excellent beyond theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father”? Or again: “I will be His Father, and He will be My Son”? . . .