Bible verses about sloth
Sloths are extremely slow animals. Captive sloths sleep 15 to 20 hours every day. We are not to be like these animals. Serve the Lord with enthusiasm and have nothing to do with slothfulness, which is not a Christian trait. Too much sleep mixed with idle hands lead to poverty, hunger, disgrace, and suffering. Since the beginning God called us to be hard workers spiritually and physically. Don’t love sleep too much because slothfulness and idleness is a sin.
What does the Bible say?
1. Ecclesiastes 10:18 Through slothfulness the roof deteriorates, and a house leaks because of idleness.
2. Proverbs 12:24 Hard-working hands gain control, but lazy hands do slave labor.
3. Proverbs 13:4 The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.
4. Proverbs 12:27-28 A lazy hunter does not catch his prey, but a hard-working person becomes wealthy. Everlasting life is on the way of righteousness. Eternal death is not along its path.
5. Proverbs 26:16 The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who can answer sensibly.
Too much sleep leads to poverty.
6. Proverbs 19:15-16 Slothfulness casts into a deep sleep, and the negligent soul shall suffer hunger. He that keeps the commandment keeps his own soul, but he that despises his ways shall die.
7. Proverbs 6:9 How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?
8. Proverbs 26:12-15 There is one thing worse than a fool, and that is a man who is conceited. The lazy man won’t go out and work. “There might be a lion outside!” he says. He sticks to his bed like a door to its hinges! He is too tired even to lift his food from his dish to his mouth!
9. Proverbs 20:12-13 The ear that hears and the eye that sees— the Lord has made them both. Do not love sleep, lest you become impoverished; open your eyes so that you might be satisfied with food.
10. Proverbs 31:26-29 Her mouth she hath opened in wisdom, And the law of kindness is on her tongue. She is watching the ways of her household, And bread of sloth she eateth not. Her sons have risen up, and pronounce her happy, Her husband, and he praiseth her, Many are the daughters who have done worthily, Thou hast gone up above them all.
11. Proverbs 31:15-18 She gets up before dawn to prepare breakfast for her household and plans the day’s work for her servant girls. She goes out to inspect a field and buys it; with her own hands she plants a vineyard. She is energetic, a hard worker, and watches for bargains. She works far into the night!
Excuses
12. Proverbs 22:13 A lazy person says, “A lion! Right outside! I will surely die in the streets!”
Reminders
13. Romans 12:11-13 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
14. 2 Thessalonians 3:10-11 While we were with you, we gave you the order: “Whoever doesn’t want to work shouldn’t be allowed to eat.” We hear that some of you are not living disciplined lives. You’re not working, so you go around interfering in other people’s lives.
15. Hebrews 6:11-12 Our great desire is that you will keep on loving others as long as life lasts, in order to make certain that what you hope for will come true. Then you will not become spiritually dull and indifferent. Instead, you will follow the example of those who are going to inherit God’s promises because of their faith and endurance.
16. Proverbs 10:26 Lazy people irritate their employers, like vinegar to the teeth or smoke in the eyes.
Bible examples
17. Matthew 25:24-28 “Then the one who had received one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you haven’t planted and gathering where you haven’t scattered any seed. Since I was afraid, I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here, take what’s yours!’ “His master answered him, ‘You evil and lazy servant! So you knew that I harvested where I haven’t planted and gathered where I haven’t scattered any seed? Then you should’ve invested my money with the bankers. When I returned, I would’ve received my money back with interest. Then the master said, ‘Take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents.”
18. Titus 1:10-12 There are many believers, especially converts from Judaism, who are rebellious. They speak nonsense and deceive people. They must be silenced because they are ruining whole families by teaching what they shouldn’t teach. This is the shameful way they make money. Even one of their own prophets said, “Cretans are always liars, savage animals, and lazy gluttons.”
19. Proverbs 24:30-32 I walked through the fields and vineyards of a lazy, stupid person. They were full of thorn bushes and overgrown with weeds. The stone wall around them had fallen down. I looked at this, thought about it, and learned a lesson from it.
20. Judges 18:9 And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.
