Proverbs 14:23

In all hard work ¹  there is profit, but merely talking about it ²  only brings ³  poverty. ⁴ 

All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

In all labor there is profit, But mere talk leads only to poverty.

Work brings profit, but mere talk leads to poverty!

Hard work always pays off; mere talk puts no bread on the table.

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

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

In all labor there is profit, But idle chatter leads only to poverty.

In all hard work ¹  there is profit, but merely talking about it ²  only brings ³  poverty. ⁴ 

¹ sn The Hebrew term עֶצֶב (’etsev, “painful toil; labor”) is first used in scripture in Gen 3:19 to describe the effects of the Fall. The point here is that people should be more afraid of idle talk than of hard labor.

² tn Heb “word of lips.” This construct phrase features a genitive of source (“a word from the lips”) or a subjective genitive (“speaking a word”). Talk without work (which produces nothing) is contrasted with labor that produces something.

³ tn The term “brings” does not appear in the Hebrew, but is supplied in the translation for clarity and smoothness.

⁴ sn The noun מַחְסוֹר (makhsor, “need; thing needed; poverty”) comes from the verb “to lack; to be lacking; to decrease; to need.” A person given to idle talk rather than industrious work will have needs that go unmet.