§2.30.1ἀπὸ δὲ ταύτης τῆς πόλιος πλέων ἐν ἴσῳ χρόνῳ ἄλλῳ ἥξεις ἐς τοὺς αὐτομόλους ἐν ὅσῳ περ ἐξ Ἐλεφαντίνης ἦλθες ἐς τὴν μητρόπολιν τὴν Αἰθιόπων.
Sailing from this city, you will arrive among the deserters in another period of time equal to that in which you came from Elephantine to the capital of the Ethiopians.
τοῖσι δὲ αὐτομόλοισι τούτοισι οὔνομα ἐστὶ Ἀσμάχ, δύναται δὲ τοῦτο τὸ ἔπος κατὰ τὴν Ἑλλήνων γλῶσσαν οἱ ἐξ ἀριστερῆς χειρὸς παριστάμενοι βασιλέι. §2.30.2ἀπέστησαν δὲ αὗται τέσσερες καὶ εἴκοσι μυριάδες Αἰγυπτίων τῶν μαχίμων ἐς τοὺς Αἰθίοπας τούτους διʼ αἰτίην τοιήνδε.
The name of these deserters is Asmach, and this word means in the language of the Greeks "those who stand on the left hand of the king." These twenty-four myriads of the Egyptian warrior class revolted to these Ethiopians for the following reason.
ἐπὶ Ψαμμητίχου βασιλέος φυλακαὶ κατέστησαν ἔν τε Ἐλεφαντίνῃ πόλι πρὸς Αἰθιόπων καὶ ἐν Δάφνῃσι τῇσι Πηλουσίῃσι ἄλλη πρὸς Ἀραβίων τε καὶ Ἀσσυρίων, καὶ ἐν Μαρέῃ πρὸς Λιβύης ἄλλη.
In the reign of King Psammetichus, garrisons were established: one in the city of Elephantine against the Ethiopians, another in Pelusian Daphnae against the Arabs and Assyrians, and another in Marea against Libya.
§2.30.3ἔτι δὲ ἐπʼ ἐμεῦ καὶ Περσέων κατὰ ταὐτὰ αἱ φυλακαὶ ἔχουσι ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ Ψαμμητίχου ἦσαν· καὶ γὰρ ἐν Ἐλεφαντίνῃ Πέρσαι φρουρέουσι καὶ ἐν Δάφνῃσι.
And still in my time, the garrisons of the Persians are maintained in the same manner as they were also under Psammetichus; for indeed Persians keep guard both in Elephantine and in Daphnae.
τοὺς ὦν δὴ Αἰγυπτίους τρία ἔτεα φρουρήσαντας ἀπέλυε οὐδεὶς τῆς φρουρῆς· οἳ δὲ βουλευσάμενοι καὶ κοινῷ λόγῳ χρησάμενοι πάντες ἀπὸ τοῦ Ψαμμητίχου ἀποστάντες ἤισαν ἐς Αἰθιοπίην.
Now, when no one released these Egyptians from guard duty after they had served for three years, they took counsel and came to a common agreement; then, all revolting from Psammetichus, they departed for Ethiopia.
§2.30.4Ψαμμήτιχος δὲ πυθόμενος ἐδίωκε· ὡς δὲ κατέλαβε, ἐδέετο πολλὰ λέγων καί σφεας θεοὺς πατρωίους ἀπολιπεῖν οὐκ ἔα καὶ τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας.
Psammetichus, having heard of this, pursued them; and when he overtook them, he entreated them with many words, forbidding them to abandon their ancestral gods, their children, and their wives.
τῶν δὲ τινὰ λέγεται δέξαντα τὸ αἰδοῖον εἰπεῖν, ἔνθα ἂν τοῦτο ᾖ, ἔσεσθαι αὐτοῖσι ἐνθαῦτα καὶ τέκνα καὶ γυναῖκας.
But one of them is said, pointing to his private parts, to have said that wherever this was, there they would have both children and wives.
§2.30.5οὗτοι ἐπείτε ἐς Αἰθιοπίην ἀπίκοντο, διδοῦσι σφέας αὐτοὺς τῷ Αἰθιόπων βασιλέι, ὁ δὲ σφέας τῷδε ἀντιδωρέεται· ἦσάν οἱ διάφοροι τινὲς γεγονότες τῶν Αἰθιόπων· τούτους ἐκέλευε ἐξελόντας τὴν ἐκείνων γῆν οἰκέειν.
When these arrived in Ethiopia, they gave themselves up to the king of the Ethiopians, who rewarded them in the following way: certain of the Ethiopians had come to be at variance with him; he ordered them to expel these people and dwell in their land.
τούτων δὲ ἐσοικισθέντων ἐς τοὺς Αἰθίοπας ἡμερώτεροι γεγόνασι Αἰθίοπες, ἤθεα μαθόντες Αἰγύπτια.
And since these had settled among the Ethiopians, the Ethiopians became more civilized, having learned Egyptian customs.