15 Bible Verses about Hard Labor

Know ye not that those who run in a race indeed all run, but one receives the prize? So run, that ye may obtain it. And every man that strives for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we, an incorruptible one. I therefore so run, not as unto an uncertain thing; so I fight, not as one that beats the air;read more.
but I keep my body under, and bring it into subjection, lest preaching to others, I myself should become reprobate.

Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, fighting against sin.

if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained it, either were already perfect, but I follow after, if I may lay hold of that for which I have also been laid hold of by the Christ, Jesus. Brethren, I do not reckon to have laid hold of it yet, but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and extending myself unto those things which are ahead,read more.
I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

By day the drought consumed me, and by night, the frost; and my sleep departed from mine eyes. Thus have I been twenty years in thy house; I served thee fourteen years for thy two daughters and six years for thy flock; and thou hast changed my wages ten times. If the God of my father, the God of Abraham, and the fear of Isaac, were not with me, surely thou would send me away now empty. God has seen my affliction and the work of my hands and rebuked thee last night.

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built the supply cities for Pharaoh: Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew, so much that they loathed the sons of Israel. And the Egyptians made the sons of Israel serve with rigor,read more.
and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, making mortar and brick and in all manner of service in the field; all their service, in which they made them serve, was with rigor.

But when the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, they worked with prudence and went and made as if they had been ambassadors and took old sacks upon their asses, and wine bottles, old and rent and bound up, and old patched shoes upon their feet, and old garments upon them, and all the bread of their provision was dry and mouldy.read more.
Thus they came unto Joshua to the camp at Gilgal and said unto him and to the men of Israel, We are come from a far country; now, therefore, make ye a covenant with us. And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us, and how shall we make a covenant with you? And they said unto Joshua, We are thy slaves. And Joshua said unto them, Who are you and where do you come from? And they said unto him, From very far lands thy slaves are come because of the name of the LORD thy God, for we have heard the fame of him and all that he did in Egypt and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side of the Jordan, and to Sihon, king of Heshbon, and to Og, king of Bashan, who was at Ashtaroth. Therefore, our elders and all the inhabitants of our country spoke to us, saying, Take provision with you for the journey and go to meet them and say unto them, We are your slaves; therefore, now make ye a covenant with us. This our bread we took hot for our provision out of our houses on the day we came forth to come unto you, but now, behold, it is dry and mouldy. These bottles of wine, we also filled new, and, behold, they are rent, and these our garments and our shoes are become old by reason of the very long journey. And the men of Israel took of their provision and did not ask counsel at the mouth of the LORD. And Joshua made peace with them and made a covenant with them, to let them live; also the princes of the congregation swore unto them. At the end of three days after they had made a covenant with them, they heard how they were their neighbours and that they dwelt among them. And the sons of Israel journeyed and came unto their cities on the third day. Now their cities were Gibeon and Chephirah and Beeroth and Kirjathjearim. And the sons of Israel did not smite them because the princes of the congregation had sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel. And all the congregation murmured against the princes. But all the princes said unto all the congregation, We have sworn unto them by the LORD God of Israel; therefore, now we may not touch them. This we will do to them; we will let them live lest wrath come upon us because of the oath which we swore unto them. And the princes said unto them, Let them live but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation, as the princes had said unto them. And Joshua called for them, and spoke unto them saying, Why have ye beguiled us, saying, We are very far from you, when ye dwell among us? Now, therefore, ye are cursed, and ye shall always be slaves and hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God. And they answered Joshua and said, Because it was certainly told thy slaves how the LORD thy God commanded his slave Moses that he was to give you the land and to destroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you; therefore, we feared greatly of our lives because of you and have done this thing. And now, behold, we are in thy hand; as it seems good and right unto thee to do unto us, do. And so did he unto them; he delivered them out of the hand of the sons of Israel, so that they did not slay them. And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation and for the altar of the LORD, in the place which he should choose; which they are even unto this day.

And she said, The Philistines are upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep and said, This time I will go out like before and escape; not knowing that the LORD had departed from him. But the Philistines took hold of him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of iron that he should grind in the prison house.

The sleep of the servant is sweet whether he eats little or much, but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Whatever thy hand finds to do, do it with all thy might, for there is no work nor device nor knowledge nor wisdom in Sheol, where thou goest.

And likewise I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.

And this is the account of the levy which King Solomon raised to build the house of the LORD and his own house and Millo and the wall of Jerusalem and Hazor and Megiddo and Gezer.

In all labour there is fruit, but to talk and not do, brings poverty.

And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it, cursed shall be the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

But the Philistines took hold of him and put out his eyes and brought him down to Gaza and bound him with fetters of iron that he should grind in the prison house.

They took the young men to grind, and the children fell under the wood.