The sluggard will not plow ¹  during the planting season, ²  so at harvest time he looks ³  for the crop ⁴  but has nothing.

biblegateway Pro 20:4

The sluggard does not plow after the autumn, So he begs during the harvest and has nothing.

The slacker does not plow during planting season; at harvest time he looks, and there is nothing.

A lazy person does not plow in the fall. He looks for something in the harvest but finds nothing.

biblegateway Pro 20:4

A sluggard does not plough in season; so at harvest time he looks but finds nothing.

The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing.

bibleoremus Pro 20:4

The lazy person does not plow in season; harvest comes, and there is nothing to be found.

The lazy man who does not plough in autumn looks for a crop at harvest and gets nothing.

biblegateway Pro 20:4

The lazy man will not plow because of winter; He will beg during harvest and have nothing.

The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; [therefore] shall he beg in harvest, and [have] nothing.

biblegateway Pro 20:4

The sluggard will not plow ¹  during the planting season, ²  so at harvest time he looks ³  for the crop ⁴  but has nothing.

¹ sn The act of plowing is put for the whole process of planting a crop.

² tn Heb “in the autumn”; ASV “by reason of the winter.” The noun means “autumn, harvest time.” The right time for planting was after the harvest and the rainy season of autumn and winter began.

³ tn The Piel of the verb שָׁאַל (sha’al, “to ask”) means “to beg” or “to inquire carefully.” At the harvest time he looks for produce but there is none. The Piel might suggest, however, that because he did not plant, or did not do it at the right time, he is reduced to begging and will have nothing (cf. KJV, ASV; NASB “he begs during the harvest”).

⁴ tn The phrase “for the crop” does not appear in the Hebrew but is implied; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.