PROV 14:23 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

BrLXX Ἐν παντὶ μεριμνῶντι ἔνεστι περισσόν, ὁ δὲ ἡδὺς καὶ ἀνάλγητος ἐν ἐνδείᾳ ἔσται.
(En panti merimnōnti enesti perisson, ho de haʸdus kai analgaʸtos en endeia estai. )

BrTr With every one who is careful there is abundance: but the pleasure-taking and indolent shall be in want.

UST If people work hard, they will gain from it,
⇔ but if people only talk, they will remain poor.

OEB No OEB PROV book available

WEBBE In all hard work there is profit,
⇔ but the talk of the lips leads only to poverty.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET In all hard work there is profit,
⇔ but merely talking about it only brings poverty.

LSV In all labor there is advantage,
And a thing of the lips [is] only to want.

FBV There's profit in hard work, but chatting just leads to poverty.

T4T ⇔ If you work hard, you will ◄accomplish something good/get a good income►,
⇔ but if all you do is to talk and not work, you will remain poor.

LEB • In all toil, there is profit, but the talk[fn] of lips leads only to poverty.

14:? Literally “word, matter, thing”

BBE In all hard work there is profit, but talk only makes a man poor.

Moff In all labour there is profit:
⇔ mere talk only tends to penury.

JPS In all labour there is profit; but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

ASV In all labor there is profit;
⇔ But the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

DRA In much work there shall be abundance: but where there are many words, there is oftentimes want.

YLT In all labour there is advantage, And a thing of the lips [is] only to want.

Drby In all labour there is profit; but the talk of the lips [tendeth] only to want.

RV In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

SLT In all labor will be profit: and the word of the lips only to want.

Wbstr In all labor there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

KJB-1769 In all labour there is profit: but the talk of the lips tendeth only to penury.

KJB-1611 In all labour there is profit: but the talke of the lippes tendeth onely to penury.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps In euery labour there is some profite: but vayne wordes bryng foorth onely penurie.
(In every labour there is some profite: but vain words bring forth only penurie.)

Gnva In all labour there is abundance: but the talke of the lippes bringeth onely want.
(In all labour there is abundance: but the talk of the lips bringeth/brings only want. )

Cvdl Diliget labor bryngeth riches, but where many vayne wordes are, truly there is scarcenesse.
(Diliget labour bringeth/brings riches, but where many vain words are, truly there is scarceness.)

Wycl abundaunce `schal be in ech good werk. Sotheli where ful many wordis ben, there nedynesse is ofte.
(abundance shall be in each good work. Truly where full many words been, there neediness is ofte.)

Luth Wo man arbeitet, da ist genug; wo man aber mit Worten umgeht, da ist Mangel.
(Where man works(v), there is enough; where man but with words umgeht, there is shortage.)

ClVg In omni opere erit abundantia; ubi autem verba sunt plurima, ibi frequenter egestas.
(In all by_work will_be abundance; where however words are many_(things), there frequenter poverty. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

This section is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs. It has a very different structure from the longer poetic lectures of chapters 1–9. It consists mostly of individual couplets (two-line poems) that are each one verse in length. With the exception of the title (10:1a), paragraph breaks will not be indicated in the Notes or Display. You may of course choose to start each proverb as a separate paragraph in your translation.

In chapters 10–15, most of these one-verse couplets express a contrast between the two lines. One of the more common contrasts is between the righteous/wise and the wicked/foolish and the different consequences of their conduct.

In chapters 16:1–22:16, more topics are discussed. There is more emphasis on the role of the king and other leaders. In these chapters, there are few proverbs with contrasting lines. Some of the parallel lines are similar in meaning. More frequently, the second line adds to what the first line says or gives an example. Most of the verses have no obvious connection with the previous or following proverbs.UBS (page 214), Fox (page 509), McKane (page 413). Many scholars, including McKane, point out that there are some topical groupings as well as poetic connections. These include the repetition of certain words or sounds. This observation does not deny the individual nature of most of the proverbs in this Section.

Two of the types of proverbs in this section are not found in chapters 1–9. One type contains logical reasoning from the lesser to the greater. See 11:31 for a list of these proverbs. There are also several varieties of complex “better than” proverbs. The most common have a contrasting situation in each line (see 12:9). For other varieties, see 16:16, 19:1, and 21:9.

Many of the proverbs in this section refer to categories of people who share a common trait. For example, they refer to the righteous, the wise, the poor, and the lazy. In Hebrew, some verses use singular forms to refer to these groups of people. Other verses use plural forms. Still others use a combination of singular and plural. See the note on 10:30a–b for one example. For most of these verses, the Notes will not comment on the difference between singular and plural forms. Use a natural way in your language to refer to one or more people who are in the same category.

Many of the proverbs in this section express a general principle in abstract terms. They are not addressed specifically to the readers. For example, 10:2a–b says:

Ill-gotten treasures are of no value,

but righteousness delivers from death.

However, the author intended his readers to understand these proverbs as advice that they should follow. In some languages, authors or speakers give advice more directly, using pronouns such as you^(sing), you^(plur), we^(dual), or we^(incl). See the note on 10:2 for translation suggestions.

Some other headings for this section are:

Proverbs of Solomon (NIV)

The Wise Words of Solomon (NCV)

Here are many wise things that Solomon said

14:23

Notice the parallel parts that contrast in meaning:

^23a There is profit in all labor ,

^23bbut mere talk leads only to poverty.

14:23a

There is profit in all labor,

A person who works hard earns a good/adequate living,
If you^(sing)/we^(incl) work industriously/diligently, you/we will gain something from it.

14:23b

but mere talk leads only to poverty.

but if he just sits and talks, he will become poor.
But if you^(sing)/we^(incl) are lazy and just talk, you/we will lack what you/we need to live.

14:23a–b

There is profit…leads only to poverty: These parallel phrases contrast the results of hard work and mere talk. The word translated here as profit can also mean “abundance.” It refers to the benefit that a person gains from his work. In contrast, the word that the BSB translates as poverty is literally “scarcity.” It refers to a lack of the basic necessities for life (see the note on 6:11a–b).

all labor…mere talk: This proverb contrasts two kinds of people:

a person who is industrious and works hard
a person who is lazy and does not work, but merely talks

Some other ways to translate these two lines are:

In hard work there is always something gained, but idle talk leads only to poverty. (GW)

Work and you will earn a living; if you sit around talking you will be poor. (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

עֶ֭צֶב & מוֹתָ֑ר & לְ⁠מַחְסֽוֹר

toil & profit & to,lack

See how you translated the abstract nouns “toils” in [5:10](../05/10.md), profit in [3:14](../03/14.md), and lack in [6:11](../06/11.md).

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

וּ⁠דְבַר־שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם

and,word_of lips

Here Solomon implies that this refers to the word of lips without any toil. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “but the word of lips without toil” or “but the word of lips by itself”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

וּ⁠דְבַר־שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם

and,word_of lips

Here Solomon is using the possessive form to describe the word that is spoken with lips. If your language would not use the possessive form for this, you could use a different expression. Alternate translation: “but the word spoken by lips”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

וּ⁠דְבַר־שְׂ֝פָתַ֗יִם

and,word_of lips

Here, the word of lips represents what people say by using their lips. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use an equivalent expression or plain language. See how you translated the similar use of word in [12:25](../12/25.md). Alternate translation: [but just talking]

Note 5 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

אַךְ־לְ⁠מַחְסֽוֹר

only to,lack

Here, is only indicates that lack is the result of the preceding phrase. Use the most natural way in your language to indicate result. Alternate translation: “results only in lack”

Parallel PROV 14:23

Section 10:1–22:16: This is the main collection of Solomon’s proverbs

14:23

14:23a

14:23b

14:23a–b