What does the Bible say about ?

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100 Bible Verses about Hard Work

Colossians 3:23 ESV / 2,645 helpful votes

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men,

Proverbs 13:4 ESV / 1,906 helpful votes

The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

Proverbs 14:23 ESV / 1,566 helpful votes

In all toil there is profit, but mere talk tends only to poverty.

Philippians 4:13 ESV / 1,432 helpful votes

I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

2 Thessalonians 3:10-12 ESV / 1,367 helpful votes

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living.

Proverbs 16:3 ESV / 1,309 helpful votes

Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

Philippians 2:14-15 ESV / 1,008 helpful votes

Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,

Proverbs 12:24 ESV / 1,004 helpful votes

The hand of the diligent will rule, while the slothful will be put to forced labor.

1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 897 helpful votes

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

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 ESV / 837 helpful votes

And to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

Luke 1:37 ESV / 815 helpful votes

For nothing will be impossible with God.”

1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 758 helpful votes

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

Colossians 3:17 ESV / 750 helpful votes

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

Ecclesiastes 9:10 ESV / 731 helpful votes

Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might, for there is no work or thought or knowledge or wisdom in Sheol, to which you are going.

2 Timothy 2:6 ESV / 654 helpful votes

It is the hard-working farmer who ought to have the first share of the crops.

Galatians 6:9 ESV / 628 helpful votes

And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.

Proverbs 12:11 ESV / 607 helpful votes

Whoever works his land will have plenty of bread, but he who follows worthless pursuits lacks sense.

Colossians 3:24 ESV / 592 helpful votes

Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

Titus 2:7-8 ESV / 589 helpful votes

Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

Proverbs 6:6-8 ESV / 524 helpful votes

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.

Genesis 2:15 ESV / 522 helpful votes

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Acts 20:35 ESV / 503 helpful votes

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Psalm 128:2 ESV / 459 helpful votes

You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be blessed, and it shall be well with you.

Ephesians 6:7 ESV / 453 helpful votes

Rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man,

Psalm 90:17 ESV / 437 helpful votes

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!

Jeremiah 29:11 ESV / 433 helpful votes

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Ephesians 4:28 ESV / 419 helpful votes

Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need.

Proverbs 6:10-12 ESV / 418 helpful votes

A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. A worthless person, a wicked man, goes about with crooked speech,

Colossians 3:23-24 ESV / 387 helpful votes

Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.

John 5:17 ESV / 354 helpful votes

But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I am working.”

Matthew 5:16 ESV / 327 helpful votes

In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Proverbs 18:9 ESV / 305 helpful votes

Whoever is slack in his work is a brother to him who destroys.

Isaiah 41:13 ESV / 288 helpful votes

For I, the Lord your God, hold your right hand; it is I who say to you, “Fear not, I am the one who helps you.”

Proverbs 22:29 ESV / 270 helpful votes

Do you see a man skillful in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.

Proverbs 13:11 ESV / 261 helpful votes

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase it.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 ESV / 246 helpful votes

For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat.

Romans 12:11 ESV / 240 helpful votes

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

2 Timothy 4:7 ESV / 236 helpful votes

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

1 Corinthians 15:58 ESV / 232 helpful votes

Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

Psalm 37:5 ESV / 227 helpful votes

Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act.

Ephesians 5:15-17 ESV / 211 helpful votes

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Romans 12:11-12 ESV / 210 helpful votes

Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

James 2:17 ESV / 209 helpful votes

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

2 Timothy 2:15 ESV / 202 helpful votes

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Ecclesiastes 2:24 ESV / 201 helpful votes

There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil. This also, I saw, is from the hand of God,

Proverbs 10:4 ESV / 192 helpful votes

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

1 Corinthians 4:12 ESV / 176 helpful votes

And we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure;

Jeremiah 31:16-17 ESV / 165 helpful votes

Thus says the Lord: “Keep your voice from weeping, and your eyes from tears, for there is a reward for your work, declares the Lord, and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. There is hope for your future, declares the Lord, and your children shall come back to their own country.

Psalm 138:8 ESV / 165 helpful votes

The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands.

Ephesians 2:10 ESV / 164 helpful votes

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Proverbs 21:5 ESV / 160 helpful votes

The plans of the diligent lead surely to abundance, but everyone who is hasty comes only to poverty.

John 3:34 ESV / 155 helpful votes

For he whom God has sent utters the words of God, for he gives the Spirit without measure.

Genesis 1:31 ESV / 153 helpful votes

And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Nehemiah 4:6 ESV / 149 helpful votes

So we built the wall. And all the wall was joined together to half its height, for the people had a mind to work.

Jeremiah 29:5 ESV / 147 helpful votes

Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce.

Proverbs 16:26 ESV / 146 helpful votes

A worker's appetite works for him; his mouth urges him on.

Psalm 127:1 ESV / 146 helpful votes

A Song of Ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.

Ephesians 5:15-16 ESV / 144 helpful votes

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

Isaiah 40:31 ESV / 141 helpful votes

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

2 Chronicles 15:7 ESV / 139 helpful votes

But you, take courage! Do not let your hands be weak, for your work shall be rewarded.”

Ecclesiastes 3:12-13 ESV / 138 helpful votes

I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man.

Proverbs 16:11 ESV / 135 helpful votes

A just balance and scales are the Lord's; all the weights in the bag are his work.

Proverbs 20:13 ESV / 134 helpful votes

Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty; open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread.

Deuteronomy 15:10 ESV / 134 helpful votes

You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give to him, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.

John 6:27 ESV / 133 helpful votes

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

Proverbs 24:30-34 ESV / 132 helpful votes

I passed by the field of a sluggard, by the vineyard of a man lacking sense, and behold, it was all overgrown with thorns; the ground was covered with nettles, and its stone wall was broken down. Then I saw and considered it; 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 want like an armed man.

Genesis 3:17-19 ESV / 130 helpful votes

And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Exodus 18:18-23 ESV / 128 helpful votes

You and the people with you will certainly wear yourselves out, for the thing is too heavy for you. You are not able to do it alone. Now obey my voice; I will give you advice, and God be with you! You shall represent the people before God and bring their cases to God, and you shall warn them about the statutes and the laws, and make them know the way in which they must walk and what they must do. Moreover, look for able men from all the people, men who fear God, who are trustworthy and hate a bribe, and place such men over the people as chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. ...

Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV / 125 helpful votes

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.

Luke 12:48 ESV / 123 helpful votes

But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more.

Job 1:10 ESV / 122 helpful votes

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

Proverbs 10:4-5 ESV / 119 helpful votes

A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. He who gathers in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps in harvest is a son who brings shame.

Acts 20:33-35 ESV / 118 helpful votes

I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Isaiah 54:17 ESV / 118 helpful votes

No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication from me, declares the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 24:14 ESV / 118 helpful votes

“You shall not oppress a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether he is one of your brothers or one of the sojourners who are in your land within your towns.

Luke 16:10 ESV / 113 helpful votes

“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.

Matthew 25:16-30 ESV / 111 helpful votes

He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ...

John 4:38 ESV / 110 helpful votes

I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

Psalm 37:4 ESV / 108 helpful votes

Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Proverbs 6:6-11 ESV / 107 helpful votes

Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest. How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, ...

Ephesians 6:5-9 ESV / 106 helpful votes

Bondservants, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, rendering service with a good will as to the Lord and not to man, knowing that whatever good anyone does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether he is a bondservant or is free. Masters, do the same to them, and stop your threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.

Romans 16:12 ESV / 106 helpful votes

Greet those workers in the Lord, Tryphaena and Tryphosa. Greet the beloved Persis, who has worked hard in the Lord.

Proverbs 4:16 ESV / 104 helpful votes

For they cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble.

Philippians 1:13-14 ESV / 102 helpful votes

So that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear.

Proverbs 17:27 ESV / 98 helpful votes

Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding.

Leviticus 23:22 ESV / 98 helpful votes

“And when you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, nor shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God.”

Genesis 2:3 ESV / 98 helpful votes

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

John 4:34 ESV / 97 helpful votes

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work.

Proverbs 12:14 ESV / 96 helpful votes

From the fruit of his mouth a man is satisfied with good, and the work of a man's hand comes back to him.

Psalm 119:66 ESV / 96 helpful votes

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

Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 ESV / 92 helpful votes

Behold, what I have seen to be good and fitting is to eat and drink and find enjoyment in all the toil with which one toils under the sun the few days of his life that God has given him, for this is his lot. Everyone also to whom God has given wealth and possessions and power to enjoy them, and to accept his lot and rejoice in his toil—this is the gift of God. For he will not much remember the days of his life because God keeps him occupied with joy in his heart.

Hebrews 3:13-14 ESV / 89 helpful votes

But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.

Proverbs 24:32-34 ESV / 84 helpful votes

Then I saw and considered it; 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 want like an armed man.

Proverbs 23:4 ESV / 83 helpful votes

Do not toil to acquire wealth; be discerning enough to desist.

1 Corinthians 8:1-13 ESV / 82 helpful votes

Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God. Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— ...

1 Corinthians 3:8 ESV / 81 helpful votes

He who plants and he who waters are one, and each will receive his wages according to his labor.

Deuteronomy 28:8 ESV / 81 helpful votes

The Lord will command the blessing on you in your barns and in all that you undertake. And he will bless you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you.

Psalm 119:55 ESV / 77 helpful votes

I remember your name in the night, O Lord, and keep your law.

Genesis 2:5 ESV / 75 helpful votes

When no bush of the field was yet in the land and no small plant of the field had yet sprung up—for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the land, and there was no man to work the ground,

1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV / 74 helpful votes

But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

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