§7.2.1στελλομένου δὲ Δαρείου ἐπʼ Αἴγυπτον καὶ Ἀθήνας, τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ στάσις ἐγένετο μεγάλη περὶ τῆς ἡγεμονίης, ὡς δεῖ μιν ἀποδέξαντα βασιλέα κατὰ τὸν Περσέων νόμον οὕτω στρατεύεσθαι.
While Darius was preparing for an expedition against Egypt and Athens, a great dispute arose among his sons concerning the leadership, since by Persian law he had to declare a king before he could march.
§7.2.2ἦσαν γὰρ Δαρείῳ καὶ πρότερον ἢ βασιλεῦσαι γεγονότες τρεῖς παῖδες ἐκ τῆς προτέρης γυναικός, Γοβρύεω θυγατρός, καὶ βασιλεύσαντι ἐξ Ἀτόσσης τῆς Κύρου ἕτεροι τέσσερες.
For Darius had three sons born to him before he became king by his first wife, the daughter of Gobryas, and four other sons by Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, after he became king.
τῶν μὲν δὴ προτέρων ἐπρέσβευε Ἀρτοβαζάνης, τῶν δὲ ἐπιγενομένων Ξέρξης.
Of the former, Artobazanes was the eldest, and of the latter, Xerxes.
ἐόντες δὲ μητρὸς οὐ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστασίαζον, §7.2.3ὁ μὲν Ἀρτοβαζάνης κατότι πρεσβύτατός τε εἴη παντὸς τοῦ γόνου καὶ ὅτι νομιζόμενον εἴη πρὸς πάντων ἀνθρώπων τὸν πρεσβύτατον τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχειν, Ξέρξης δὲ ὡς Ἀτόσσης τε παῖς εἴη τῆς Κύρου θυγατρὸς καὶ ὅτι Κῦρος εἴη ὁ κτησάμενος τοῖσι Πέρσῃσι τὴν ἐλευθερίην.
As they were not of the same mother, they were in dispute; Artobazanes argued that he was the eldest of all the offspring and that it was the custom among all men for the eldest to hold the rule; while Xerxes argued that he was the son of Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus, and that it was Cyrus who had won freedom for the Persians.