§15.63.1οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, πολλοὺς μὲν ἀποβεβληκότες τῶν νέων ἐν τῇ περὶ Λεῦκτρα συμφορᾷ, οὐκ ὀλίγους δʼ ἐν ταῖς ἄλλαις ἥτταις ἀπολωλεκότες, καὶ τὸ σύνολον εἰς ὀλίγους πολιτικοὺς στρατιώτας ὑπὸ τῆς τύχης συγκεκλεισμένοι, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις τῶν συμμάχων τῶν μὲν ἀφεστηκότων, τῶν δὲ διὰ τὰς ὁμοίας αἰτίας ὀλιγανδρούντων, εἰς πολλὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἔπιπτον.
The Lacedaemonians, having lost many of their young men in the disaster at Leuctra, and having lost not a few in the other defeats, and as a whole having been reduced by fortune to a small number of citizen soldiers, and in addition to these, some of their allies having revolted while others were short of men for similar reasons, fell into great helplessness.
διόπερ ἠναγκάζοντο καταφεύγειν ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν Ἀθηναίων βοήθειαν, οἷς τριάκοντα μὲν τυράννους ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν χρόνοις ἐπέστησαν, τὰ δὲ τείχη τῆς πόλεως ἐκώλυσαν ἀνοικοδομεῖν, ἐπεβάλοντο δὲ καὶ τὴν πόλιν ἄρδην ἀναιροῦντες τὴν Ἀττικὴν ποιῆσαι μηλόβοτον.
Therefore they were forced to flee for help to the Athenians, over whom in former times they had established thirty tyrants, and had prevented them from rebuilding the walls of their city, and had even planned to utterly destroy the city and make Attica a pasture for sheep.
§15.63.2ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν ἰσχυρότερόν ἐστιν ἀνάγκης καὶ τύχης, διʼ ὧν ἐβιάσθησαν οἱ Λακεδαιμόνιοι τῶν πολεμιωτάτων δεηθῆναι.
But indeed nothing is stronger than necessity and fortune, by which the Lacedaemonians were compelled to entreat their bitterest enemies.
ὅμως δʼ οὐ διεσφάλησαν τῶν ἐλπίδων.
Nevertheless, they were not disappointed in their hopes.
ὁ γὰρ τῶν Ἀθηναίων δῆμος, μεγαλόψυχος ὢν καὶ φιλάνθρωπος, τὴν μὲν τῶν Θηβαίων ἰσχὺν οὐ κατεπλάγησαν, τοῖς δὲ Λακεδαιμονίοις ὑπὲρ ἀνδραποδισμοῦ κινδυνεύουσιν ἐψηφίσαντο βοηθεῖν πανδημεί.
For the Athenian people, being magnanimous and humane, did not fear the power of the Thebans, but voted to aid in full force the Lacedaemonians who were in danger of enslavement.
καὶ παραχρῆμα στρατηγὸν καταστήσαντες τὸν Ἰφικράτην ἐξέπεμψαν καὶ τοὺς νέους αὐθημερόν, ὄντας μυρίους καὶ δισχιλίους.
And immediately appointing Iphicrates as general, they sent him out along with the young men on the very same day, who were twelve thousand in number.
Ἰφικράτης μὲν οὖν, προθύμους ἔχων τοὺς στρατιώτας, προῆγε μετὰ τῆς δυνάμεως κατὰ σπουδήν.
Iphicrates, therefore, having eager soldiers, advanced with his force in haste.
§15.63.3οἱ δὲ Λακεδαιμόνιοι, τῶν πολεμίων ἐπὶ τοὺς ὅρους τῆς Λακωνικῆς καταστρατοπεδευόντων, καὶ αὐτοὶ πανδημεὶ τὴν ἐκ τῆς Σπάρτης ἔξοδον ποιησάμενοι προῆγον ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐναντίους, ταῖς μὲν τῶν στρατιωτῶν δυνάμεσι τεταπεινωμένοι, ταῖς δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρεταῖς τεθαρρηκότες.
The Lacedaemonians, when the enemy encamped on the borders of Laconia, also themselves made an exit in full force from Sparta and advanced against their opponents, humbled indeed in the numbers of their soldiers, but confident in the virtues of their souls.
§15.63.4οἱ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὸν Ἐπαμεινώνδαν ὁρῶντες τὴν τῶν Λακεδαιμονίων χώραν δυσείσβολον οὖσαν, τὸ μὲν ἀθρόᾳ τηλικαύτῃ δυνάμει ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἐμβολὴν οὐχ ἡγοῦντο συμφέρειν, εἰς τέτταρα δὲ μέρη διελόμενοι σφᾶς αὐτοὺς κατὰ πλείονας τόπους ἔκριναν ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἔφοδον.
Epaminondas and his men, seeing that the territory of the Lacedaemonians was difficult to invade, did not think it advantageous to make the incursion all at once with so great a force, but dividing themselves into four parts, they decided to make the assault from several directions.