Ben Sira 40:20

20 Wine and music can make you happy, but a happy marriage is even better.

Ben Sira 40:20 In-Context

18 Being independently wealthy or working for a living - both can make life pleasant, but it is better to find a treasure.

19 Your name can be preserved if you have children or if you establish a city, but finding Wisdom is a better way. Owning livestock and orchards will make you famous, but it is better to have a wife you love.

20 Wine and music can make you happy, but a happy marriage is even better.

21 Flutes and harps make fine music, but a pleasant voice is better than either.

22 Gracefulness and beauty please the eye, but not as much as new growth in the spring.

Footnotes

• [a] [Hebrew] a happy marriage; [Greek] the love of Wisdom.