Careful with the Converse

(Pro 10:4 KJV)  He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack hand: but the hand of the diligent maketh rich.

As I was comparing the NASB to the KJV it seemed like there was a different emphasis in this verse.  The NASB says,

(Pro 10:4 NAS77) Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, But the hand of the diligent makes rich.

The KJV seems to be saying that sloth leads to poverty.  The NASB nuances itself around that point.  I looked through the sixteen translations I have on my software and they all seemed to agree with the approach of the KJV.  The Good News Bible, a paraphrase if there ever was one, puts it short and to the point,

(Pro 10:4 GNB) Being lazy will make you poor, but hard work will make you rich.

It would also be important to point out that the opposite does not follow.  You need to be careful about saying that being poor makes you lazy.  In some parts of the world the entire population is poor and they work hard from dawn to dusk just to keep from starving.  In some American communities there are cases of generational poverty that works as a handicap.  If you have not been taught the value of work or how to work you might just give up.

So?  If you are a follower of Jesus then you are expected to not be lazy.  Of course the principle follows even if you are not a Christian but that is the way God’s laws tend to work.  They are good for everyone.