ViCe AnD VirTue 57 to the poor that your blessing may be accomplished” (7,32 [36]). To the dependent clause the Latin adds the idea of atonement: “that your expiation and blessing may be accomplished” (ut perficiatur propitia- tio et benedictio tua) 65. This addition aligns this verse with Ben Sira’s own conviction that generosity can atone for sin (3,14-15 [15-17].30 [33]; 35,1-5). The benefits of generosity are likewise emphasized in 12,2 within another passage on generosity (12,1-6). The Greek reads, “Do good to the godly and you will find repayment, if not from him then (avlla,) from the most High”. The Latin however, modifies “re- payment” with “great” (retributionem magnam) and emphasizes the certainty of repayment by translating avlla, with certe: “if not from him, assuredly from the Lord” (si non ab ipso certe a domino) 66. These two changes reinforce the benefits of generosity through an elaboration of the extent and reliability of its reward. in sum, the Latin version builds upon the idea in Grii that avarice is the most serious sin and does significant damage to one’s own soul. Greed is correlated both with miserliness and with arrogant imperial aggressiveness. in order to dissuade the reader from avarice, the Latin version reminds the reader of the coming judgment in order to dimin- ish the appeal of accumulated wealth. it also repeatedly encourages generosity by accenting its obligation, its desirability, and its rewards. V. Other Vices: envy, Anger, Sloth Some virtues and vices that were common in late antique discus- sions of ethics play a lesser role in the Latin version. While envy, anger, and sloth do appear in the book, they are rather ad hoc and not major themes like the other three vices. The vice of envy appears in a Grii addition at 20,14 where the envious person who gives under obligation is placed in parallel with the fool who gives but is looking for a sevenfold payback 67. While the Latin does not contain this addition, it does include additional references to envy in a few places 68. in 9,11 (16), the Greek warns the 65 So also D. See THieLe, Sirach, 325. 66 So also D. See THieLe, Sirach, 402. 67 This addition appears in the Lucianic recension and ms 672. See BuSSinO, Greek Additions, 314-318. 68 it is noteworthy that in the discussion of miserliness in 14,3-10 the Latin ren- ders the idiom for a miser, “the evil eye”, by retaining the construction of the idiom but making explicit the element of envy: oculus lividi (14,8; cf. 14,3). in the next