§4ΕΥΘ. ὃν διώκων αὖ δοκῶ μαίνεσθαι.
Euthyphro: The one I am prosecuting is such that, by prosecuting him, I am thought again to be mad.
ΣΩ. τί δέ;
Socrates: What?
πετόμενόν τινα διώκεις;
Are you prosecuting someone who flies?
ΕΥΘ. πολλοῦ γε δεῖ πέτεσθαι, ὅς γε τυγχάνει ὢν εὖ μάλα πρεσβύτης.
Euthyphro: He is far from flying, since he happens to be very elderly indeed.
ΣΩ. τίς οὗτος;
Socrates: Who is this?
ΕΥΘ. ὁ ἐμὸς πατήρ.
Euthyphro: My father.
ΣΩ. ὁ σός, ὦ βέλτιστε;
Socrates: Your own, my good friend?
ΕΥΘ. πάνυ μὲν οὖν.
Euthyphro: Exactly.
ΣΩ. ἔστιν δὲ τί τὸ ἔγκλημα καὶ τίνος ἡ δίκη;
Socrates: But what is the charge, and what is the suit?
ΕΥΘ. φόνου, ὦ Σώκρατες.
Euthyphro: Murder, Socrates.
ΣΩ. Ἡράκλεις.
Socrates: By Heracles!
ἦ που, ὦ Εὐθύφρων, ἀγνοεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν πολλῶν ὅπῃ ποτὲ ὀρθῶς ἔχει· οὐ γὰρ οἶμαί γε τοῦ ἐπιτυχόντος αὐτὸ πρᾶξαι ἀλλὰ πόρρω που ἤδη σοφίας ἐλαύνοντος.
Surely, Euthyphro, it is ignored by the multitude in what way it is ever right; for I do not think it belongs to any ordinary person to do this, but rather to one already advancing far into wisdom.
ΕΥΘ. πόρρω μέντοι νὴ Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες.
Euthyphro: Far indeed, by Zeus, Socrates.
ΣΩ. ἔστιν δὲ δὴ τῶν οἰκείων τις ὁ τεθνεὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ σοῦ πατρός;
Socrates: Is the deceased, who was killed by your father, one of your relatives?
ἢ δῆλα δή;
Or is it obvious?
οὐ γὰρ ἄν που ὑπέρ γε ἀλλοτρίου ἐπεξῇσθα φόνου αὐτῷ.
For surely you would not have prosecuted him for murder on behalf of a stranger.
ΕΥΘ. γελοῖον, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅτι οἴει τι διαφέρειν εἴτε ἀλλότριος εἴτε οἰκεῖος ὁ τεθνεώς, ἀλλʼ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον δεῖν φυλάττειν, εἴτε ἐν δίκῃ ἔκτεινεν ὁ κτείνας εἴτε μή, καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐν δίκῃ, ἐᾶν, εἰ δὲ μή, ἐπεξιέναι, ἐάνπερ ὁ κτείνας συνέστιός σοι καὶ ὁμοτράπεζος ᾖ· ἴσον γὰρ τὸ μίασμα γίγνεται ἐὰν συνῇς τῷ τοιούτῳ συνειδὼς καὶ μὴ ἀφοσιοῖς σεαυτόν τε καὶ ἐκεῖνον τῇ δίκῃ ἐπεξιών.
Euthyphro: It is ridiculous, Socrates, that you think it makes any difference whether the deceased is a stranger or a relative, and that you do not think one should guard only this, whether the killer killed justly or not, and if justly, to let it go, but if not, to prosecute, even if the killer shares your hearth and table; for the pollution becomes equal if you associate with such a person knowing this and do not purify both yourself and him by prosecuting him.
ἐπεὶ ὅ γε ἀποθανὼν πελάτης τις ἦν ἐμός, καὶ ὡς ἐγεωργοῦμεν ἐν τῇ Νάξῳ, ἐθήτευεν ἐκεῖ παρʼ ἡμῖν.
Indeed, the deceased was a certain dependent of mine, and when we were farming in Naxos, he worked there for us for hire.
παροινήσας οὖν καὶ ὀργισθεὶς τῶν οἰκετῶν τινι τῶν ἡμετέρων ἀποσφάττει αὐτόν.
Having drunk too much and become angry with one of our household servants, he cut his throat.
ὁ οὖν πατὴρ συνδήσας τοὺς πόδας καὶ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ, καταβαλὼν εἰς τάφρον τινά, πέμπει δεῦρο ἄνδρα πευσόμενον τοῦ ἐξηγητοῦ ὅτι χρείη ποιεῖν.
My father, therefore, having bound his feet and hands, and having thrown him into a ditch, sent a man here to inquire of the interpreter what was necessary to do.
ἐν δὲ τούτῳ τῷ χρόνῳ τοῦ δεδεμένου ὠλιγώρει τε καὶ ἠμέλει ὡς ἀνδροφόνου καὶ οὐδὲν ὂν πρᾶγμα εἰ καὶ ἀποθάνοι, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἔπαθεν· ὑπὸ γὰρ λιμοῦ καὶ ῥίγους καὶ τῶν δεσμῶν ἀποθνῄσκει πρὶν τὸν ἄγγελον παρὰ τοῦ ἐξηγητοῦ ἀφικέσθαι.
But in this intervening time, he neglected and took no care of the bound man as being a murderer and it being no matter even if he should die—which indeed is what happened to him; for through hunger and cold and the bonds, he died before the messenger arrived from the interpreter.
ταῦτα δὴ οὖν καὶ ἀγανακτεῖ ὅ τε πατὴρ καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι οἰκεῖοι, ὅτι ἐγὼ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀνδροφόνου τῷ πατρὶ φόνου ἐπεξέρχομαι οὔτε ἀποκτείναντι, ὥς φασιν ἐκεῖνοι, οὔτʼ εἰ ὅτι μάλιστα ἀπέκτεινεν, ἀνδροφόνου γε ὄντος τοῦ ἀποθανόντος, οὐ δεῖν φροντίζειν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοιούτου—ἀνόσιον γὰρ εἶναι τὸ ὑὸν πατρὶ φόνου ἐπεξιέναι—κακῶς εἰδότες, ὦ Σώκρατες, τὸ θεῖον ὡς ἔχει τοῦ ὁσίου τε πέρι καὶ τοῦ ἀνοσίου.
Now it is because of these things indeed that my father and the other relatives are indignant, because on behalf of the murderer I am prosecuting my father for murder, when he did not kill him, as they say, and even if he did kill him as much as possible, since the deceased was a murderer, one ought not to care about such a person—for they say it is impious for a son to prosecute his father for murder—knowing poorly, Socrates, how the divine is disposed concerning both the pious and the impious.
ΣΩ. σὺ δὲ δὴ πρὸς Διός, ὦ Εὐθύφρων, οὑτωσὶ ἀκριβῶς οἴει ἐπίστασθαι περὶ τῶν θείων ὅπῃ ἔχει, καὶ τῶν ὁσίων τε καὶ ἀνοσίων, ὥστε τούτων οὕτω πραχθέντων ὡς σὺ λέγεις, οὐ φοβῇ δικαζόμενος τῷ πατρὶ ὅπως μὴ αὖ σὺ ἀνόσιον πρᾶγμα τυγχάνῃς πράττων;
Socrates: But by Zeus, Euthyphro, do you think you understand so accurately about divine matters, how they are, and about pious and impious things, so that, these things having been done in this way as you say, you do not fear prosecuting your father, lest you in turn happen to be doing an impious deed?
§5ΕΥΘ. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἄν μου ὄφελος εἴη, ὦ Σώκρατες, οὐδέ τῳ ἂν διαφέροι Εὐθύφρων τῶν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων, εἰ μὴ τὰ τοιαῦτα πάντα ἀκριβῶς εἰδείην.
Euthyphro: For I would be of no use, Socrates, nor would Euthyphro differ in any way from the multitude of men, if I did not know all such things accurately.
ΣΩ. ἆρʼ οὖν μοι, ὦ θαυμάσιε Εὐθύφρων, κράτιστόν ἐστι μαθητῇ σῷ γενέσθαι, καὶ πρὸ τῆς γραφῆς τῆς πρὸς Μέλητον αὐτὰ ταῦτα προκαλεῖσθαι αὐτόν, λέγοντα ὅτι ἔγωγε καὶ ἐν τῷ ἔμπροσθεν χρόνῳ τὰ θεῖα περὶ πολλοῦ ἐποιούμην εἰδέναι, καὶ νῦν ἐπειδή με ἐκεῖνος αὐτοσχεδιάζοντά φησι καὶ καινοτομοῦντα περὶ τῶν θείων ἐξαμαρτάνειν, μαθητὴς δὴ γέγονα σός —
καὶ εἰ μέν, ὦ Μέλητε,
φαίην ἄν,
Εὐθύφρονα ὁμολογεῖς σοφὸν εἶναι τὰ τοιαῦτα, ὀρθῶς νομίζειν καὶ ἐμὲ ἡγοῦ καὶ μὴ δικάζου· εἰ δὲ μή, ἐκείνῳ τῷ διδασκάλῳ λάχε δίκην πρότερον ἢ ἐμοί, ὡς τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους διαφθείροντι ἐμέ τε καὶ τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα, ἐμὲ μὲν διδάσκοντι, ἐκεῖνον δὲ νουθετοῦντί τε καὶ κολάζοντι
—καὶ ἂν μή μοι πείθηται μηδὲ ἀφίῃ τῆς δίκης ἢ ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ γράφηται σέ, αὐτὰ ταῦτα λέγειν ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ἃ προυκαλούμην αὐτόν;
Socrates: Then, wonderful Euthyphro, is it best for me to become your disciple, and before the indictment against Meletus to challenge him on these very things, saying that I even in the past valued highly the knowledge of divine things, and now since he says that I err by improvising and innovating concerning divine matters, I have become your disciple— and "If, Meletus," I would say, "you agree that Euthyphro is wise in such matters, believe that I also think rightly and do not prosecute me; but if not, bring a suit against that teacher of mine first rather than me, as one who corrupts the older people, both me and his own father, by teaching me, and by admonishing and punishing him"— and if he is not persuaded by me and does not release me from the suit, or does not indict you instead of me, should I say these very things in the court which I challenged him with?
ΕΥΘ. ναὶ μὰ Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες, εἰ ἄρα ἐμὲ ἐπιχειρήσειε γράφεσθαι, εὕροιμʼ ἄν, ὡς οἶμαι, ὅπῃ σαθρός ἐστιν, καὶ πολὺ ἂν ἡμῖν πρότερον περὶ ἐκείνου λόγος ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ δικαστηρίῳ ἢ περὶ ἐμοῦ.
Euthyphro: Yes, by Zeus, Socrates, if indeed he should attempt to indict me, I would find, I think, where he is rotten, and our discussion in the court would have been about him much earlier than about me.
ΣΩ. καὶ ἐγώ τοι, ὦ φίλε ἑταῖρε, ταῦτα γιγνώσκων μαθητὴς ἐπιθυμῶ γενέσθαι σός, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ἄλλος πού τις καὶ ὁ Μέλητος οὗτος σὲ μὲν οὐδὲ δοκεῖ ὁρᾶν, ἐμὲ δὲ οὕτως ὀξέως καὶ ῥᾳδίως κατεῖδεν ὥστε ἀσεβείας ἐγράψατο.
Socrates: And I too, my dear companion, knowing this, desire to become your disciple, knowing that while someone else and this Meletus do not even seem to see you, he looked upon me so sharply and easily that he indicted me for impiety.
νῦν οὖν πρὸς Διὸς λέγε μοι ὃ νυνδὴ σαφῶς εἰδέναι διισχυρίζου, ποῖόν τι τὸ εὐσεβὲς φῂς εἶναι καὶ τὸ ἀσεβὲς καὶ περὶ φόνου καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων;
Now therefore, by Zeus, tell me what you just now strongly asserted that you knew clearly: what kind of thing do you say the pious is, and the impious, both concerning murder and concerning all other things?
ἢ οὐ ταὐτόν ἐστιν ἐν πάσῃ πράξει τὸ ὅσιον αὐτὸ αὑτῷ, καὶ τὸ ἀνόσιον αὖ τοῦ μὲν ὁσίου παντὸς ἐναντίον, αὐτὸ δὲ αὑτῷ ὅμοιον καὶ ἔχον μίαν τινὰ ἰδέαν κατὰ τὴν ἀνοσιότητα πᾶν ὅτιπερ ἂν μέλλῃ ἀνόσιον εἶναι;
Or is not the pious itself the same as itself in every action, and the impious in turn the opposite of all the pious, but itself like itself and having some single form according to impiousness, everything that is to be impious?
ΕΥΘ. πάντως δήπου, ὦ Σώκρατες.
Euthyphro: Absolutely, indeed, Socrates.
ΣΩ. λέγε δή, τί φῂς εἶναι τὸ ὅσιον καὶ τί τὸ ἀνόσιον;
Socrates: Tell me then, what do you say the pious is, and what the impious?