Don’t abandon old friends,
because newer ones are not their equals.
New friends are like new wine;
when wine ages,
you will drink it with good cheer.

[Μὴ ἐγκαταλίπῃς φίλον ἀρχαῖον,
ὁ γὰρ πρόσφατος οὐκ ἔστιν ἔφισος αὐτῷ·
οἶνος νέος φίλος νέος·
ἐὰν παλαιωθῇ, μετ᾽ εὐφροσύνης πίεσαι αὐτόν.]

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 22b. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 9:10 (Sir 9:10) [tr. CEB (2011)]
    (Source)

See Herbert (1640), Bacon (1624).

More on the history and acceptance of this Apocryphal book here and here.

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

Forsake not an old friend; for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine; when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure.
[tr. KJV (1611)]

Forsake not an old friend, for the new will not be like to him.
A new friend is as new wine: it shall grow old, and thou shalt drink it with pleasure.
[tr. DRA (1899), 9:14-15]

Do not desert an old friend;
the new one will not be his match.
New friend, new wine;
when it grows old, you drink it with pleasure.
[tr. JB (1966); NJB (1985)]

Never abandon old friends; you will never find a new one who can take their place. Friendship is like wine; it gets better as it grows older.
[tr. GNT (1992 ed.)]

Do not abandon old friends,
for new ones cannot equal them.
A new friend is like new wine;
when it has aged, you will drink it with pleasure. [tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)]

Do not abandon an old friend, for the recent one is not his equal.
New wine is like a new friend; & if it ages, maybe you will drink it.
[tr. RJPS (2023 ed.), 9:13-14]


 
Added on 7-Jul-26 | Last updated 7-Jul-26
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