§3.127.1Δαρεῖος δὲ ὡς ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχήν, ἐπεθύμεε τὸν Ὀροίτεα τίσασθαι πάντων τῶν ἀδικημάτων εἵνεκεν καὶ μάλιστα Μιτροβάτεω καὶ τοῦ παιδός.
When Darius obtained the kingdom, he desired to take vengeance on Oroetes for all his wrongdoings, and especially for Mitrobates and his son.
ἐκ μὲν δὴ τῆς ἰθέης στρατὸν ἐπʼ αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐδόκεε πέμπειν ἅτε οἰδεόντων ἔτι τῶν πρηγμάτων, καὶ νεωστὶ ἔχων τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τὸν Ὀροίτεα μεγάλην τὴν ἰσχὺν πυνθανόμενος ἔχειν· τὸν χίλιοι μὲν Περσέων ἐδορυφόρεον, εἶχε δὲ νομὸν τόν τε Φρύγιον καὶ Λύδιον καὶ Ἰωνικόν.
He did not think it best to send an army against him openly, since affairs were still unstable, and because he himself had only recently held the power, while he heard that Oroetes had great strength; for a thousand Persians served as his bodyguard, and he held the Phrygian, Lydian, and Ionian satrapies.
§3.127.2πρὸς ταῦτα δὴ ὦν ὁ Δαρεῖος τάδε ἐμηχανήσατο.
Therefore Darius devised the following plan.
συγκαλέσας Περσέων τοὺς δοκιμωτάτους ἔλεγέ σφι τάδε. ὦ Πέρσαι, τίς ἄν μοι τοῦτο ὑμέων ὑποστὰς ἐπιτελέσειε σοφίῃ καὶ μὴ βίῃ τε καὶ ὁμίλῳ;
Having called together the most distinguished of the Persians, he said to them: "O Persians, which of you would undertake this task for me and accomplish it by wisdom, and not by force and numbers?
ἔνθα γὰρ σοφίης δέει, βίης ἔργον οὐδέν·
For where there is need of wisdom, force has no business.
§3.127.3ὑμέων δὲ ὦν τίς μοι Ὀροίτεα ἢ ζώοντα ἀγάγοι ἢ ἀποκτείνειε;
Which of you, then, would either bring Oroetes to me alive or kill him?
ὃς ὠφέλησε μέν κω Πέρσας οὐδέν, κακὰ δὲ μεγάλα ἔοργε· τοῦτο μὲν δύο ἡμέων ἠίστωσε, Μιτροβάτεά τε καὶ τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ, τοῦτο δὲ τοὺς ἀνακαλέοντας αὐτὸν καὶ πεμπομένους ὑπʼ ἐμεῦ κτείνει, ὕβριν οὐκ ἀνασχετὸν φαίνων.
For he has rendered no service to the Persians, but has committed great evils; on the one hand, he made away with two of us, Mitrobates and his son, and on the other hand, he kills those who summon him, sent by me, showing intolerable insolence.
πρίν τι ὦν μέζον ἐξεργάσασθαί μιν Πέρσας κακόν, καταλαμπτέος ἐστὶ ἡμῖν θανάτῳ.
Therefore, before he works some greater evil upon the Persians, he must be checked by us with death."