§1.91.1ἀπικομένοισι δὲ τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι καὶ λέγουσι τὰ ἐντεταλμένα τὴν Πυθίην λέγεται εἰπεῖν τάδε. τὴν πεπρωμένην μοῖραν ἀδύνατα ἐστὶ ἀποφυγεῖν καὶ θεῷ·
When the Lydians arrived and spoke as they had been commanded, the Pythia is said to have replied as follows: "It is impossible even for a god to escape the destined fate.
Κροῖσος δὲ πέμπτου γονέος ἁμαρτάδα ἐξέπλησε, ὃς ἐὼν δορυφόρος Ἡρακλειδέων, δόλῳ γυναικηίῳ ἐπισπόμενος ἐφόνευσε τὸν δεσπότεα καὶ ἔσχε τὴν ἐκείνου τιμὴν οὐδέν οἱ προσήκουσαν. §1.91.2προθυμεομένου δὲ Λοξίεω ὅκως ἂν κατὰ τοὺς παῖδας τοῦ Κροίσου γένοιτο τὸ Σαρδίων πάθος καὶ μὴ κατʼ αὐτὸν Κροῖσον, οὐκ οἷόν τε ἐγίνετο παραγαγεῖν μοίρας. §1.91.3ὅσον δὲ ἐνέδωκαν αὗται, ἤνυσέ τε καὶ ἐχαρίσατό οἱ· τρία γὰρ ἔτεα ἐπανεβάλετο τὴν Σαρδίων ἅλωσιν, καὶ τοῦτο ἐπιστάσθω Κροῖσος ὡς ὕστερον τοῖσι ἔτεσι τούτοισι ἁλοὺς τῆς πεπρωμένης.
Croesus has paid for the sin of his fifth ancestor, who, being a bodyguard of the Heraclidae, yielded to a woman's guile, murdered his master, and took possession of that master's honor which in no way belonged to him." "And although Loxias was eager that the fall of Sardis should happen in the time of the sons of Croesus and not during the lifetime of Croesus himself, it was not possible to sway the Fates." "Yet, as much as they conceded, he accomplished and granted to him: for he postponed the taking of Sardis for three years, and let Croesus know this, that he was captured later by these many years than the destined time.
δευτέρα δὲ τούτων καιομένῳ αὐτῷ ἐπήρκεσε. §1.91.4κατὰ δὲ τὸ μαντήιον τὸ γενόμενον οὐκ ὀρθῶς Κροῖσος μέμφεται.
And secondly, he came to his aid when he was being burned." "But regarding the oracle that was given, Croesus does not complain justly.
προηγόρευε γὰρ οἱ Λοξίης, ἢν στρατεύηται ἐπὶ Πέρσας, μεγάλην ἀρχὴν αὐτὸν καταλύσειν.
For Loxias foretold to him that if he should march against the Persians, he would destroy a great empire.
τὸν δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα χρῆν εὖ μέλλοντα βουλεύεσθαι ἐπειρέσθαι πέμψαντα κότερα τὴν ἑωυτοῦ ἢ τὴν Κύρου λέγοι ἀρχήν.
In response to this, if he was going to plan well, he ought to have sent and asked whether the god meant his own empire or that of Cyrus.
οὐ συλλαβὼν δὲ τὸ ῥηθὲν οὐδʼ ἐπανειρόμενος ἑωυτὸν αἴτιον ἀποφαινέτω· §1.91.5τῷ καὶ τὸ τελευταῖον χρηστηριαζομένῳ εἶπε Λοξίης περὶ ἡμιόνου, οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνέλαβε.
But since he neither understood what was spoken nor asked again, let him declare himself to be the cause." "Moreover, when Loxias spoke to him when he consulted the oracle for the last time about a mule, he did not understand this either.
ἦν γὰρ δὴ ὁ Κῦρος οὗτος ἡμίονος· ἐκ γὰρ δυῶν οὐκ ὁμοεθνέων ἐγεγόνεε, μητρὸς ἀμείνονος, πατρὸς δὲ ὑποδεεστέρου· §1.91.6ἣ μὲν γὰρ ἦν Μηδὶς καὶ Ἀστυάγεος θυγάτηρ τοῦ Μήδων βασιλέος, ὁ δὲ Πέρσης τε ἦν καὶ ἀρχόμενος ὑπʼ ἐκείνοισι καὶ ἔνερθε ἐὼν τοῖσι ἅπασι δεσποίνῃ τῇ ἑωυτοῦ συνοίκεε. ταῦτα μὲν ἡ Πυθίη ὑπεκρίνατο τοῖσι Λυδοῖσι, οἳ δὲ ἀνήνεικαν ἐς Σάρδις καὶ ἀπήγγειλαν Κροίσῳ.
For this Cyrus was indeed that mule; since he was born of two parents of different nations, the mother being of the nobler and the father of the lower station." "For she was a Mede and the daughter of Astyages, king of the Medes, while he was a Persian and a subject under them, and though inferior in all respects, he lived with his own mistress." This was the reply which the Pythia gave to the Lydians, and they carried it back to Sardis and reported it to Croesus.
ὁ δὲ ἀκούσας συνέγνω ἑωυτοῦ εἶναι τὴν ἁμαρτάδα καὶ οὐ τοῦ θεοῦ.
When he heard it, he acknowledged that the fault was his own and not the god's.
κατὰ μὲν δὴ τὴν Κροίσου τε ἀρχὴν καὶ Ἰωνίης τὴν πρώτην καταστροφὴν ἔσχε οὕτω.
Thus it happened concerning the empire of Croesus and the first conquest of Ionia.