ViCe AnD VirTue 47 the following verse this change makes “prideful things” the opposite of the “wise things” spoken by the poor person. elsewhere, in discus- sions of pride notions of dishonesty are added to correlate pride with lying (10,8; 15,7). A minor case occurs in 13,1 in which the Latin sim- ply makes the dimension of pride more explicit 24. While the Greek states that the one who associates with the proud will be like him, the Latin says that the one who associates with the proud will exhibit pride (qui communicaverit superbo inducet superbiam) 25. in a discussion of divine mercy the Greek observes that God has seen and understood that humanity’s ruin is grievous, and this prompts God to forgive (18,12 [10-11]). The Latin contains two additions here. First, the verbs “see” and “understand” are separated and, perhaps un- der the influence of 6,5, a reference to pride is inserted in reference to the first: “[God] has seen the presumption of their heart that it is evil and has understood their ruin that it is calamitous” (vidit praesump- tionem cordis illorum quoniam mala est et cognovit subversionem illorum quoniam nequa est). in the context of this passage this has the effect of making presumption an innate quality of humanity, which is implicitly connected with their mortality; but this also prompts a com- passionate response from God. in the next verse the statement that for this reason God shows mercy is followed in the Latin with “and shows them the path of justice” (et ostendit illis viam aequitatis). This sup- plement gives God’s mercy specific content in terms of correcting humanity’s behavior and implies that the path of justice/righteousness is the remedy for presumption (cf. the Latin of 4,9). in sum, references to pride emerge in some critical places in Ben Sira, especially in the discussion of pride and power in Sirach 10. Taken collectively, these alterations and additions build on Ben Sira’s own teaching, but they also increase the importance of the role and danger of pride in the moral life of human beings, viewing it as more constitutive of human existence, and yet also as something that prompts God to intervene either to correct it or to punish it. 24 Another possible case is 23,8. There the Greek states that “by his lips a sin- ner is overtaken / and the reviler and the proud stumble by them”. For the first colon some Grii manuscripts read “by his foolishness (evpi. matai,w|) a sinner is overtaken”, probably under the influence of the Decalogue (see LXX of exod 20,7; Deut 5,11; cf. Ps 23,4). yet, the Latin reads, “by his vainglory a sinner is caught” (in vanitate sua adprehendetur peccator; J does not contain in vanitate sua). However, the use of vanitas may simply reflect the reading in some Grii witnesses, as in Pss 61,10; 77,33; 138,20. See THieLe, Sirach, 642. 25 D: qui communicat superbo induet superbiam. See THieLe, Sirach, 415.