Here are 100 Bible verses about idleness, curated from both the Old and New Testaments of the Holy Bible, King James Version, arranged from most to least relevant.
1 Timothy 5:13 KJV
13 And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.
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Proverbs 19:15 KJV
15 Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.
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Ecclesiastes 10:18 KJV
18 By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
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Proverbs 31:27 KJV
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
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Proverbs 13:4 KJV
4 The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.
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2 Thessalonians 3:10 KJV
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.
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Proverbs 24:30-34 KJV
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. 33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding …
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Proverbs 12:24 KJV
24 The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but the slothful shall be under tribute.
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2 Thessalonians 3:11 KJV
11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies.
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Proverbs 18:9 KJV
9 He also that is slothful in his work is brother to him that is a great waster.
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Ezekiel 16:49 KJV
49 Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
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Proverbs 20:13 KJV
13 Love not sleep, lest thou come to poverty; open thine eyes, and thou shalt be satisfied with bread.
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Proverbs 20:4 KJV
4 The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing.
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Proverbs 14:23 KJV
23 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.
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Proverbs 10:4 KJV
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.
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Proverbs 21:25 KJV
25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
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1 Thessalonians 5:14 KJV
14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.
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Matthew 12:36 KJV
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
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2 Thessalonians 3:6 KJV
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us.
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Proverbs 12:27 KJV
27 The slothful man roasteth not that which he took in hunting: but the substance of a diligent man is precious.
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Proverbs 6:6 KJV
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise:
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Matthew 20:6 KJV
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle?
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2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 KJV
10 For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
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Proverbs 23:21 KJV
21 For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.
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Ephesians 4:28 KJV
28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
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Proverbs 26:13-16 KJV
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets. 14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed. 15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth. 16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
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Ecclesiastes 4:5 KJV
5 The fool foldeth his hands together, and eateth his own flesh.
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Proverbs 6:6-11 KJV
6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest. 9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands …
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Proverbs 10:4-5 KJV
4 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich. 5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
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Proverbs 15:19 KJV
19 The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns: but the way of the righteous is made plain.
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1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 KJV
11 And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; 12 That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.
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Exodus 5:8 KJV
8 And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God.
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Proverbs 26:16 KJV
16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.
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Matthew 20:3 KJV
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
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Proverbs 22:13 KJV
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion without, I shall be slain in the streets.
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Acts 17:10-11 KJV
10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
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Proverbs 21:25-26 KJV
25 The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour. 26 He coveteth greedily all the day long: but the righteous giveth and spareth not.
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1 Timothy 5:8 KJV
8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.
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Luke 24:11 KJV
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
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Proverbs 19:24 KJV
24 A slothful man hideth his hand in his bosom, and will not so much as bring it to his mouth again.
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Exodus 5:17 KJV
17 But he said, Ye are idle, ye are idle: therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord.
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Proverbs 24:34 KJV
34 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.
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1 Corinthians 15:58 KJV
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
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Proverbs 10:26 KJV
26 As vinegar to the teeth, and as smoke to the eyes, so is the sluggard to them that send him.
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Romans 12:11 KJV
11 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
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Proverbs 26:15 KJV
15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him to bring it again to his mouth.
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1 Thessalonians 2:9 KJV
9 For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for labouring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God.
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Proverbs 31:10-31 KJV
10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies. 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. 13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. 14 She is like the merchants’ ships; …
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2 Thessalonians 3:6-18 KJV
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we …
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Acts 17:21 KJV
21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)
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2 Thessalonians 3:7-9 KJV
7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
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2 Thessalonians 3:6-15 KJV
6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye withdraw yourselves from every brother that walketh disorderly, and not after the tradition which he received of us. 7 For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; 8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that …
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1 Corinthians 5:9 KJV
9 I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:
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Isaiah 56:10 KJV
10 His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
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Proverbs 6:9 KJV
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?
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2 Thessalonians 3:12 KJV
12 Now them that are such we command and exhort by our Lord Jesus Christ, that with quietness they work, and eat their own bread.
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Matthew 10:38 KJV
38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
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Proverbs 26:14 KJV
14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful upon his bed.
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Proverbs 24:30-31 KJV
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down.
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Proverbs 6:10 KJV
10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
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John 3:16 KJV
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
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Proverbs 24:30 KJV
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding;
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Proverbs 10:5 KJV
5 He that gathereth in summer is a wise son: but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son that causeth shame.
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Ephesians 5:4 KJV
4 Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.
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Acts 20:34-35 KJV
34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. 35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
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John 14:27 KJV
27 Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
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Proverbs 6:9-11 KJV
9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep? 10 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: 11 So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.
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Revelation 1:1 KJV
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
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Proverbs 12:9 KJV
9 He that is despised, and hath a servant, is better than he that honoureth himself, and lacketh bread.
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2 Thessalonians 3:14 KJV
14 And if any man obey not our word by this epistle, note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed.
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2 Timothy 1:7 KJV
7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
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1 Timothy 6:20 KJV
20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called:
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Luke 10:2 KJV
2 Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
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John 14:6 KJV
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
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Proverbs 28:19 KJV
19 He that tilleth his land shall have plenty of bread: but he that followeth after vain persons shall have poverty enough.
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2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 KJV
1 Paul, and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ: 2 Grace unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; …
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Proverbs 26:13 KJV
13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way; a lion is in the streets.
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James 5:12 KJV
12 But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation.
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Psalm 23:1-6 KJV
1 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. 4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. …
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Matthew 25:40 KJV
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
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Proverbs 24:33 KJV
33 Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
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1 Peter 4:15 KJV
15 But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men’s matters.
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1 Corinthians 5:1-13 KJV
1 It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife. 2 And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 3 For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, …
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Proverbs 21:5 KJV
5 The thoughts of the diligent tend only to plenteousness; but of every one that is hasty only to want.
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Philippians 4:13 KJV
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.
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Matthew 25:26 KJV
26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
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John 5:17 KJV
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
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2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
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Ephesians 5:15-16 KJV
15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time, because the days are evil.
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Hebrews 13:5 KJV
5 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
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Romans 8:28 KJV
28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
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Colossians 3:23 KJV
23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
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Hebrews 6:12 KJV
12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
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Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
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1 John 4:8 KJV
8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.
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2 Thessalonians 3:8-9 KJV
8 Neither did we eat any man’s bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.
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Matthew 16:24 KJV
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
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Ephesians 2:8 KJV
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
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Matthew 25:18 KJV
18 But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money.
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Proverbs 24:30-32 KJV
30 I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; 31 And, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall thereof was broken down. 32 Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction.