§10οὕτως δὲ γνόντα αὐτὸν ἔφη [εἰπεῖν], ἐπειδὴ κατηγόρησαν αὐτοῦ οἱ ἀντίδικοι ὡς οὓς μὲν ἡ πόλις νομίζει θεοὺς οὐ νομίζοι, ἕτερα δὲ καινὰ δαιμόνια εἰσφέροι καὶ τοὺς νέους διαφθείροι, παρελθόντα εἰπεῖν· §11ἀλλʼ ἐγώ, ὦ ἄνδρες, τοῦτο μὲν πρῶτον θαυμάζω Μελήτου, ὅτῳ ποτὲ γνοὺς λέγει ὡς ἐγὼ οὓς ἡ πόλις νομίζει θεοὺς οὐ νομίζω· ἐπεὶ θύοντά γέ με ἐν ταῖς κοιναῖς ἑορταῖς καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν δημοσίων βωμῶν καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι οἱ παρατυγχάνοντες ἑώρων καὶ αὐτὸς Μέλητος, εἰ ἐβούλετο.
And Hermogenes said that, having resolved in this way, when his opponents accused him that he did not believe in the gods whom the city believes in, but introduced other new divine things and corrupted the youth, Socrates came forward and said: "But for my part, gentlemen, I wonder first of all at this in Meletus, namely, what on earth he knew when he says that I do not believe in the gods whom the city believes in; since indeed, as for my sacrificing at the common festivals and upon the public altars, both the others who happened to be present saw me, and Meletus himself, if he wished.
§12καινά γε μὴν δαιμόνια πῶς ἂν ἐγὼ εἰσφέροιμι λέγων ὅτι θεοῦ μοι φωνὴ φαίνεται σημαίνουσα ὅ τι χρὴ ποιεῖν;
Moreover, how could I introduce new divine things by saying that a voice of a god appears to me, signaling what I must do?
καὶ γὰρ οἱ φθόγγοις οἰωνῶν καὶ οἱ φήμαις ἀνθρώπων χρώμενοι φωναῖς δήπου τεκμαίρονται.
For indeed, those who make use of the cries of birds and the utterances of men certainly make their inferences by voices.
βροντὰς δὲ ἀμφιλέξει τις ἢ μὴ φωνεῖν ἢ μὴ μέγιστον οἰωνιστήριον εἶναι;
And will anyone dispute that thunders both speak and are the greatest omen?
ἡ δὲ Πυθοῖ ἐν τῷ τρίποδι ἱέρεια οὐ καὶ αὐτὴ φωνῇ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ διαγγέλλει;
And does not the priestess at Pytho on the tripod herself also declare messages from the god by a voice?
§13ἀλλὰ μέντοι καὶ τὸ προειδέναι γε τὸν θεὸν τὸ μέλλον καὶ τὸ προσημαίνειν ᾧ βούλεται, καὶ τοῦτο, ὥσπερ ἐγώ φημι, οὕτω πάντες καὶ λέγουσι καὶ νομίζουσιν.
Furthermore, that the god foreknows the future and signals it beforehand to whom he wishes, this also, just as I say, so all both say and believe.
ἀλλʼ οἱ μὲν οἰωνούς τε καὶ φήμας καὶ συμβόλους τε καὶ μάντεις ὀνομάζουσι τοὺς προσημαίνοντας εἶναι, ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο δαιμόνιον καλῶ καὶ οἶμαι οὕτως ὀνομάζων καὶ ἀληθέστερα καὶ ὁσιώτερα λέγειν τῶν τοῖς ὄρνισιν ἀνατιθέντων τὴν τῶν θεῶν δύναμιν.
But whereas they call the ones signaling to be birds, utterances, omens, and prophets, I call this 'daimonion' (divine voice), and I think that by so naming it I speak both more truthfully and more piously than those who attribute the power of the gods to birds.
ὥς γε μὴν οὐ ψεύδομαι κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔχω τεκμήριον· καὶ γὰρ τῶν φίλων πολλοῖς δὴ ἐξαγγείλας τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ συμβουλεύματα οὐδεπώποτε ψευσάμενος ἐφάνην.
And indeed, that I do not speak falsely against the god, I have this proof: for indeed, though I have announced the counsels of the god to many of my friends, I have never yet been shown to have spoken falsely.
§14ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούοντες οἱ δικασταὶ ἐθορύβουν, οἱ μὲν ἀπιστοῦντες τοῖς λεγομένοις, οἱ δὲ καὶ φθονοῦντες, εἰ καὶ παρὰ θεῶν μειζόνων ἢ αὐτοὶ τυγχάνοι, πάλιν εἰπεῖν τὸν Σωκράτην· ἄγε δὴ ἀκούσατε καὶ ἄλλα, ἵνα ἔτι μᾶλλον οἱ βουλόμενοι ὑμῶν ἀπιστῶσι τῷ ἐμὲ τετιμῆσθαι ὑπὸ δαιμόνων.
When the judges, hearing these things, made a clamor, some disbelieving what was said, and others also envying him, if he indeed received greater things from the gods than they, Socrates spoke again: 'Come now, hear other things also, so that those of you who wish may disbelieve even more that I have been honored by divine powers.
Χαιρεφῶντος γάρ ποτε ἐπερωτῶντος ἐν Δελφοῖς περὶ ἐμοῦ πολλῶν παρόντων ἀνεῖλεν ὁ Ἀπόλλων μηδένα εἶναι ἀνθρώπων ἐμοῦ μήτε ἐλευθεριώτερον μήτε δικαιότερον μήτε σωφρονέστερον. §15ὡς δʼ αὖ ταῦτʼ ἀκούσαντες οἱ δικασταὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον εἰκότως ἐθορύβουν, αὖθις εἰπεῖν τὸν Σωκράτην· ἀλλὰ μείζω μέν, ὦ ἄνδρες, εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς ἐν χρησμοῖς περὶ Λυκούργου τοῦ Λακεδαιμονίοις νομοθετήσαντος ἢ περὶ ἐμοῦ.
For when Chaerephon once asked at Delphi concerning me in the presence of many, Apollo replied that no man was either more liberal, or more just, or more temperate than I.' And when the judges, hearing these things, again made a clamor even more naturally, Socrates spoke again: 'But the god spoke greater things, gentlemen, in his oracles concerning Lycurgus, who legislated for the Lacedaemonians, than concerning me.
λέγεται γὰρ εἰς τὸν ναὸν εἰσιόντα προσειπεῖν αὐτόν· φροντίζω πότερα θεόν σε εἴπω ἢ ἄνθρωπον. ἐμὲ δὲ θεῷ μὲν οὐκ εἴκασεν, ἀνθρώπων δὲ πολλῷ προέκρινεν ὑπερφέρειν.
For it is said that as he entered the temple, the god addressed him: "I wonder whether I should call you a god or a man." But me he did not compare to a god, though he judged me to excel men by far.
ὅμως δὲ ὑμεῖς μηδὲ ταῦτʼ εἰκῇ πιστεύσητε τῷ θεῷ, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ἓν ἕκαστον ἐπισκοπεῖτε ὧν εἶπεν ὁ θεός.
Yet do not you believe even these things rashly from the god, but examine each one of the things the god said.
§16τίνα μὲν γὰρ ἐπίστασθε ἧττον ἐμοῦ δουλεύοντα ταῖς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιθυμίαις;
For whom do you know less enslaved than I to the desires of the body?
τίνα δὲ ἀνθρώπων ἐλευθεριώτερον, ὃς παρʼ οὐδενὸς οὔτε δῶρα οὔτε μισθὸν δέχομαι;
And what man is more liberal than I, who accept neither gifts nor payment from anyone?
δικαιότερον δὲ τίνα ἂν εἰκότως νομίσαιτε τοῦ πρὸς τὰ παρόντα συνηρμοσμένου, ὡς τῶν ἀλλοτρίων μηδενὸς προσδεῖσθαι;
And whom would you reasonably consider more just than one who has conformed himself to his present circumstances so as not to need any of other people's goods?
σοφὸν δὲ πῶς οὐκ ἄν τις εἰκότως ἄνδρα φήσειεν εἶναι ὃς ἐξ ὅτουπερ ξυνιέναι τὰ λεγόμενα ἠρξάμην οὐπώποτε διέλειπον καὶ ζητῶν καὶ μανθάνων ὅ τι ἐδυνάμην ἀγαθόν;
And how would anyone not reasonably say that a man is wise who, from the time indeed I began to understand what was said, never ceased both seeking and learning whatever good I could?
§17ὡς δὲ οὐ μάτην ἐπόνουν οὐ δοκεῖ ὑμῖν καὶ τάδε τεκμήρια εἶναι, τὸ πολλοὺς μὲν πολίτας τῶν ἀρετῆς ἐφιεμένων, πολλοὺς δὲ ξένων, ἐκ πάντων προαιρεῖσθαι ἐμοὶ ξυνεῖναι;
And that I did not labor in vain, do not these things also seem to you to be proofs: that many citizens of those desiring virtue, and many strangers, choose from all to associate with me?
ἐκείνου δὲ τί φήσομεν αἴτιον εἶναι, τοῦ πάντας εἰδέναι ὅτι ἐγὼ ἥκιστʼ ἂν ἔχοιμι χρήματα ἀντιδιδόναι, ὅμως πολλοὺς ἐπιθυμεῖν ἐμοί τι δωρεῖσθαι;
And what shall we say is the cause of that: that although all know that I would least have money to give in return, yet many desire to present me with something?
τὸ δʼ ἐμὲ μὲν μηδʼ ὑφʼ ἑνὸς ἀπαιτεῖσθαι εὐεργεσίας, ἐμοὶ δὲ πολλοὺς ὁμολογεῖν χάριτας ὀφείλειν;
And that I am not asked by even one for a return of benefits, while many acknowledge that they owe thanks to me?'"