§16.41.1ἤρξατο δὲ καὶ πρὸς Φοίνικας πολεμεῖν διὰ τοιαύτας τινὰς αἰτίας.
He also began to make war on the Phoenicians for reasons such as the following.
κατὰ τὴν Φοινίκην ἐστὶ πόλις ἀξιόλογος ὀνόματι Τρίπολις, οἰκείαν ἔχουσα τῇ φύσει τὴν προσηγορίαν·
In Phoenicia there is an important city named Tripolis, which had a name suited to its nature.
τρεῖς γάρ εἰσιν ἐν αὐτῇ πόλεις σταδιαῖον ἀπʼ ἀλλήλων ἔχουσαι διάστημα· ἐπικαλεῖται δὲ τούτων ἡ μὲν Ἀραδίων, ἡ δὲ Σιδωνίων, ἡ δὲ Τυρίων.
For there are three cities in it, having an interval of a stadion from one another; of these, one is called the city of the Aradians, another of the Sidonians, and the third of the Tyrians.
ἀξίωμα δʼ ἔχει μέγιστον αὕτη τῶν κατὰ τὴν Φοινίκην πόλεων, ἐν ᾗ συνέβαινεν τοὺς Φοίνικας συνέδριον ἔχειν καὶ βουλεύεσθαι περὶ τῶν μεγίστων.
This city has the greatest prestige among the cities in Phoenicia, in which it was the custom for the Phoenicians to hold their common council and deliberate on the most important matters.
§16.41.2τῶν δὲ σατραπῶν καὶ στρατηγῶν ἐν τῇ Σιδωνίων διατριβόντων καὶ κατὰ τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐπιταγὰς ὑβριστικῶς καὶ ὑπερηφάνως προσφερομένων τοῖς Σιδωνίοις οἱ κακούμενοι τὴν ἐπήρειαν χαλεπῶς φέροντες ἔγνωσαν ἀποστῆναι τῶν Περσῶν.
When the satraps and generals were residing in the city of the Sidonians and, in administering their duties, behaved insultingly and arrogantly toward the Sidonians, those who were suffering from this abuse, finding it hard to bear, resolved to revolt from the Persians.
§16.41.3πείσαντες δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους Φοίνικας τῆς αὐτονομίας ἀντέχεσθαι διεπρεσβεύσαντο πρὸς τὸν Αἰγυπτίων βασιλέα Νεκτανεβώ, πολέμιον ὄντα Περσῶν, καὶ πείσαντες παραλαβεῖν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὴν συμμαχίαν παρεσκευάζοντο τὰ πρὸς τὸν πόλεμον.
Having persuaded the other Phoenicians to cling to their autonomy, they sent envoys to Nectanebos, the king of the Egyptians, who was an enemy of the Persians, and, having persuaded him to receive them into alliance, they began to prepare for the war.
§16.41.4τῆς δὲ Σιδῶνος εὐδαιμονίᾳ διαφερούσης καὶ τῶν ἰδιωτῶν διὰ τὰς ἐμπορίας μεγάλους περιπεποιημένων πλούτους ταχὺ τριήρεις τε πολλαὶ κατεσκευάσθησαν καὶ μισθοφόρων πλῆθος ἠθροίσθη, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ὅπλα καὶ βέλη καὶ σῖτος καὶ τἄλλα πάντα τὰ πρὸς πόλεμον χρήσιμα συντόμως κατεσκευάσθη.
Since Sidon excelled in prosperity and private citizens had acquired great wealth through trade, many triremes were quickly constructed and a multitude of mercenaries was assembled, and besides these, weapons, missiles, grain, and all other things useful for war were rapidly provided.
§16.41.5κατάρχοντες δὲ τῆς ἔχθρας τὸν μὲν βασιλικὸν παράδεισον, ἐν ᾧ τὰς καταλύσεις οἱ τῶν Περσῶν βασιλεῖς εἰώθεισαν ποιεῖσθαι, δενδροτομήσαντες διέφθειραν· ἔπειτα τὸν ἠθροισμένον ὑπὸ τῶν σατραπῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον τοῖς ἵπποις χόρτον ἐνέπρησαν, τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον τοὺς τὰς ὕβρεις ἐπιτελεσαμένους Πέρσας συλλαβόντες ἐτιμωρήσαντο.
In beginning their hostilities, they first cut down and destroyed the royal park, in which the kings of the Persians were accustomed to take their lodging; next, they set fire to the fodder which had been gathered by the satraps for the horses in preparation for the war; and finally, they seized and punished those Persians who had committed the outrages.
§16.41.6τοῦ δὲ πολέμου τοῦ πρὸς τοὺς Φοίνικας ταύτην τὴν καταρχὴν λαβόντος ὁ βασιλεὺς πυθόμενος τὰ τετολμημένα τοῖς ἀποστάταις πᾶσι μὲν τοῖς Φοίνιξιν ἠπείλει, μάλιστα δὲ τοῖς Σιδωνίοις.
When the war against the Phoenicians had taken this beginning, the king, upon learning of these daring deeds, threatened all the rebel Phoenicians, but most of all the Sidonians.