17
And they said to them, "Explain to us what you have written." Then the first, who had spoken of the strength of wine, began and said:
18
"Gentlemen, how is wine the strongest? It leads astray the minds of all who drink it.
19
It makes equal the mind of the king and the orphan, of the slave and the free, of the poor and the rich.
20
It turns every thought to feasting and mirth, and forgets all sorrow and debt.
21
It makes all hearts feel rich, forgets kings and satraps, and makes every one talk in millions.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.