Bible verse about working hard

Summary

Bible verse about working hard

Bible verse about working hard

Here is a comprehensive collection of 200 Bible verses centered on the themes of hard work, diligence, stewardship, and the spiritual value of labor. As a theologian and writer, I have categorized these to help you navigate the nuances of the biblical work ethic—from practical wisdom in Proverbs to the spiritual mandates of the New Testament.

I. The Mandate of Diligence (Proverbs & Wisdom Literature)

 

The Book of Proverbs is the primary source for the practical “cause and effect” of hard work versus laziness.

1. Proverbs 6:6 – Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise!

2. Proverbs 6:7 – It has no commander, no overseer or ruler,

3. Proverbs 6:8 – yet it stores its provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest.

4. Proverbs 6:9 – How long will you lie there, you sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep?

5. Proverbs 6:10 – A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—

6. Proverbs 6:11 – and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

7. Proverbs 10:4 – Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

8. Proverbs 10:5 – He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son.

9. Proverbs 10:26 – As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.

10. Proverbs 12:11 – Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.

11. Proverbs 12:14 – From the fruit of their lips people are filled with good things, and the work of their hands brings them reward.

12. Proverbs 12:24 – Diligent hands will rule, but laziness ends in forced labor.

13. Proverbs 12:27 – The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

14. Proverbs 13:4 – The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.

15. Proverbs 13:11 – Dishonest money dwindles away, but whoever gathers money little by little makes it grow.

16. Proverbs 14:4 – Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.

17. Proverbs 14:23 – All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.

18. Proverbs 16:3 – Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans.

19. Proverbs 16:26 – The appetite of laborers works for them; their hunger drives them on.

20. Proverbs 18:9 – One who is slack in his work is brother to one who destroys.

21. Proverbs 19:15 – Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.

22. Proverbs 19:24 – A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he will not even bring it back to his mouth.

23. Proverbs 20:4 – Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.

24. Proverbs 20:13 – Do not love sleep or you will grow poor; stay awake and you will have food to spare.

25. Proverbs 21:5 – The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.

26. Proverbs 21:17 – He who loves pleasure will become a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not become rich.

27. Proverbs 21:25 – The craving of a sluggard will be the death of him, because his hands refuse to work.

28. Proverbs 21:26 – All day long he craves for more, but the righteous give without sparing.

29. Proverbs 22:13 – The sluggard says, “There is a lion outside! I will be killed in the public square!”

30. Proverbs 22:29 – Do you see someone skilled in their work? They will serve before kings; they will not serve before officials of low rank.

31. Proverbs 23:4 – Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness.

32. Proverbs 24:27 – Put your outdoor work in order and get your fields ready; after that, build your house.

33. Proverbs 24:30 – I went past the field of a sluggard, past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;

34. Proverbs 24:31 – thorns had come up everywhere, the ground was covered with weeds, and the stone wall was in ruins.

35. Proverbs 24:32 – I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:

36. Proverbs 24:33 – A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest—

37. Proverbs 24:34 – and poverty will come on you like a thief and scarcity like an armed man.

38. Proverbs 26:13 – A sluggard says, “There’s a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!”

39. Proverbs 26:14 – As a door turns on its hinges, so a sluggard turns on his bed.

40. Proverbs 26:15 – A sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

41. Proverbs 26:16 – A sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven people who answer discreetly.

42. Proverbs 27:18 – The one who guards a fig tree will eat its fruit, and whoever protects their master will be honored.

43. Proverbs 27:23 – Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds;

44. Proverbs 27:24 – for riches do not endure forever, and a crown is not secure for all generations.

45. Proverbs 27:25 – When the hay is removed and new growth appears and the grass from the hills is gathered in,

46. Proverbs 27:26 – the lambs will provide you with clothing, and the goats with the price of a field.

47. Proverbs 27:27 – You will have plenty of goats’ milk to feed your family and to nourish your female servants.

48. Proverbs 28:19 – Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies will have their fill of poverty.

49. Proverbs 28:20 – A faithful person will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.

50. Proverbs 28:22 – The stingy are eager to get rich and are unaware that poverty awaits them.

51. Proverbs 31:13 – She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands.

52. Proverbs 31:14 – She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar.

53. Proverbs 31:15 – She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants.

54. Proverbs 31:16 – She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

55. Proverbs 31:17 – She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks.

56. Proverbs 31:18 – She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night.

57. Proverbs 31:19 – In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

58. Proverbs 31:24 – She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes.

59. Proverbs 31:27 – She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.

60. Proverbs 31:31 – Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

II. Work as Worship (New Testament Epistles)

 

These verses transform work from a secular necessity into a sacred offering.

61. Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.

62. Colossians 3:24 – Since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.

63. Colossians 3:17 – And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

64. Ephesians 6:5 – Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear, and with sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.

65. Ephesians 6:6 – Obey them not only to win their favor when their eye is on you, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from your heart.

66. Ephesians 6:7 – Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people.

67. Ephesians 6:8 – Because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.

68. 1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

69. 1 Corinthians 15:58 – Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

70. 1 Thessalonians 4:11 – Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you.

71. 1 Thessalonians 4:12 – So that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.

72. 2 Thessalonians 3:6 – In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

73. 2 Thessalonians 3:7 – For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you.

74. 2 Thessalonians 3:8 – Nor did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you.

75. 2 Thessalonians 3:9 – We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you to imitate.

76. 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “The one who is unwilling to work shall not eat.”

77. 2 Thessalonians 3:11 – We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies.

78. 2 Thessalonians 3:12 – Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat.

79. 2 Thessalonians 3:13 – And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good.

80. Ephesians 4:28 – Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need.

81. 1 Timothy 5:8 – Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

82. 1 Timothy 5:18 – For Scripture says, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,” and “The worker deserves his wages.”

83. 2 Timothy 2:6 – The hardworking farmer should be the first to receive a share of the crops.

84. 2 Timothy 2:15 – Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

85. Titus 2:7 – In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness.

86. Titus 3:8 – This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

87. Titus 3:14 – Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

88. Romans 12:11 – Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.

89. Galatians 6:4 – Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else.

90. Galatians 6:5 – For each one should carry their own load.

91. Galatians 6:9 – Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

92. Hebrews 6:10 – God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.

93. Hebrews 6:11 – We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.

94. Hebrews 6:12 – We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.

95. James 1:22 – Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.

96. James 1:25 – But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

97. James 2:14 – What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?

98. James 2:17 – In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

99. James 2:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

100. 1 Peter 4:10 – Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.

III. The Nature and Purpose of Work (Ecclesiastes & Psalms)

 

These verses explore the philosophy of work—finding joy in toil and acknowledging God’s hand in our success.

101. Ecclesiastes 2:24 – A person can do nothing better than to eat and drink and find satisfaction in their own toil. This too, I see, is from the hand of God.

102. Ecclesiastes 3:13 – That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God.

103. Ecclesiastes 3:22 – So I saw that there is nothing better for a person than to enjoy their work, because that is their lot.

104. Ecclesiastes 4:9 – Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor.

105. Ecclesiastes 5:12 – The sleep of a laborer is sweet, whether they eat little or much, but as for the rich, their abundance permits them no sleep.

106. Ecclesiastes 5:18 – This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them.

107. Ecclesiastes 5:19 – Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God.

108. Ecclesiastes 9:10 – Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the realm of the dead, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.

109. Ecclesiastes 11:4 – Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.

110. Ecclesiastes 11:6 – Sow your seed in the morning, and at evening let your hands not be idle, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or whether both will do equally well.

111. Psalm 90:17 – May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us—yes, establish the work of our hands.

112. Psalm 104:23 – Then people go out to their work, to their labor until evening.

113. Psalm 127:1 – Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.

114. Psalm 127:2 – In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

115. Psalm 128:1 – Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in obedience to him.

116. Psalm 128:2 – You will eat the fruit of your labor; blessings and prosperity will be yours.

IV. Creation, Commission, and Examples (Old Testament History & Prophets)

 

From the Garden of Eden to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, these verses show work as God’s original design.

117. Genesis 1:28 – God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”

118. Genesis 2:2 – By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.

119. Genesis 2:3 – Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

120. Genesis 2:15 – The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

121. Genesis 3:17 – Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

122. Genesis 3:19 – By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground.

123. Exodus 20:9 – Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

124. Exodus 23:12 – Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work.

125. Exodus 31:3 – I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.

126. Exodus 31:4 – To make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze.

127. Exodus 34:21 – Six days you shall labor, but on the seventh day you shall rest; even during the plowing season and harvest you must rest.

128. Exodus 35:2 – For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a day of sabbath rest to the Lord.

129. Exodus 35:31 – And he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills.

130. Exodus 36:1 – So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.

131. Leviticus 19:13 – Do not defraud or rob your neighbor. Do not hold back the wages of a hired worker overnight.

132. Leviticus 23:3 – There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a day of sabbath rest, a day of sacred assembly.

133. Deuteronomy 5:13 – Six days you shall labor and do all your work.

134. Deuteronomy 8:18 – But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

135. Deuteronomy 15:10 – Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

136. Deuteronomy 16:15 – For the Lord your God will bless you in all your harvest and in all the work of your hands, and your joy will be complete.

137. Deuteronomy 23:20 – You may charge a foreigner interest, but not a fellow Israelite, so that the Lord your God may bless you in everything you put your hand to in the land you are entering to possess.

138. Deuteronomy 24:14 – Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

139. Deuteronomy 24:15 – Pay them their wages each day before sunset, because they are poor and are counting on it.

140. Deuteronomy 28:8 – The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to.

141. Deuteronomy 28:12 – The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands.

142. Joshua 1:8 – Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

143. Ruth 2:12 – May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.

144. 1 Samuel 12:24 – But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.

145. 2 Chronicles 15:7 – But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.

146. 2 Chronicles 31:21 – In everything that he undertook in the service of God’s temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought his God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered.

147. 2 Chronicles 34:12 – The workers labored faithfully.

148. Nehemiah 2:18 – They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

149. Nehemiah 4:6 – So we rebuilt the wall till all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart.

150. Nehemiah 4:21 – So we continued the work with half the men holding spears, from the first light of dawn till the stars came out.

151. Nehemiah 6:3 – so I sent messengers to them with this reply: “I am carrying on a great project and cannot go down. Why should the work stop while I leave it and go down to you?”

152. Isaiah 65:21 – They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

153. Isaiah 65:22 – No longer will they build houses and others live in them, or plant and others eat.

154. Isaiah 65:23 – They will not labor in vain, nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune.

155. Jeremiah 22:13 – Woe to him who builds his palace by unrighteousness, his upper rooms by injustice, making his own people work for nothing, not paying them for their labor.

156. Jeremiah 29:5 – Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.

157. Jeremiah 29:7 – Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.

158. Jeremiah 31:16 – This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping and your eyes from tears, for your work will be rewarded,” declares the Lord.

159. Jeremiah 48:10 – A curse on him who is lax in doing the Lord’s work!

160. Ezekiel 46:1 – The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened.

161. Amos 5:11 – You levy a straw tax on the poor and impose a tax on their grain. Therefore, though you have built stone mansions, you will not live in them; though you have planted lush vineyards, you will not drink their wine.

162. Haggai 1:8 – Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord.

163. Haggai 2:4 – “But now be strong, Zerubbabel,” declares the Lord. “Be strong, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land,” declares the Lord, “and work. For I am with you,” declares the Lord Almighty.

164. Malachi 3:5 – “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages.”

V. Jesus and the Gospels (Kingdom Work)

 

Jesus’ parables and His own life provide a blueprint for spiritual and physical labor.

165. Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

166. Matthew 7:21 – Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

167. Matthew 9:37 – Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.”

168. Matthew 9:38 – “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

169. Matthew 10:10 – Take no bag for the journey, or extra shirt, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.

170. Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

171. Matthew 13:23 – But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.

172. Matthew 16:27 – For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.

173. Matthew 20:1 – For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.

174. Matthew 20:28 – Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

175. Matthew 21:28 – What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

176. Matthew 24:46 – It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.

177. Matthew 25:16 – The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.

178. Matthew 25:21 – His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

179. Matthew 25:23 – His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

180. Matthew 25:26 – His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed?’

181. Mark 13:34 – It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.

182. Luke 5:5 – Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

183. Luke 10:2 – He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

184. Luke 10:7 – Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

185. Luke 12:48 – From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

186. Luke 16:10 – Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

187. Luke 19:13 – So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’

188. Luke 19:17 – “‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’”

189. John 4:34 – “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”

190. John 4:38 – I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.

191. John 5:17 – In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

192. John 6:27 – Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

193. John 6:29 – Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

194. John 9:4 – As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.

195. John 15:8 – This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

196. John 17:4 – I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.

197. Acts 20:35 – In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

198. Romans 2:6 – God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”

199. Romans 13:7 – Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

200. Revelation 2:2 – I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.