The New American Standard Bible translation of Proverbs 19:15 says that an idle person will “suffer hunger.” Suffering. I know that feeling. When I’m idle, I suffer from a false sense of hunger—a painful urgency to fill the empty space within me, which leads me to scour the pantry to pass the time. My favorite translation of Proverbs 19:15 comes from the New International Version: “Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless go hungry.” Shiftless means lacking direction or bored and aimless. Floating here and there, without purpose, willpower, or energy—like a boat without a rudder. Can
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