§2.25.1Σαρδανάπαλλος δὲ γνοὺς τὴν ἀπόστασιν εὐθὺς ἐξήγαγεν ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς τὰς ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν δυνάμεις.
Sardanapallus, having learned of the revolt, immediately led out against them the forces from the other nations.
καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον γενομένης ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ παρατάξεως ἐλείφθησαν οἱ τὴν ἀπόστασιν ποιησάμενοι, καὶ πολλοὺς ἀποβαλόντες συνεδιώχθησαν εἰς ὄρος ἀπέχον τῆς Νίνου σταδίους ἑβδομήκοντα·
And at first, a battle having taken place in the plain, those who had made the revolt were defeated, and having lost many men, they were pursued together into a mountain seventy stades distant from Ninus.
§2.25.2μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα πάλιν καταβάντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὸ πεδίον καὶ πρὸς μάχην παρασκευαζομένων, ὁ μὲν Σαρδανάπαλλος ἀντιτάξας τὴν ἰδίαν στρατιὰν προαπέστειλε πρὸς τὸ τῶν πολεμίων στρατόπεδον τοὺς κηρύξοντας διότι Σαρδανάπαλλος τοῖς μὲν ἀνελοῦσιν Ἀρβάκην τὸν Μῆδον δώσει χρυσίου διακόσια τάλαντα, τοῖς δὲ ζῶντα παραδοῦσι χρήματα μὲν δωρήσεται δὶς τοσαῦτα, τῆς δὲ Μηδίας ὕπαρχον καταστήσει.
But after this, when they had come down again into the plain and were preparing for battle, Sardanapallus, having drawn up his own army, sent ahead heralds to the camp of the enemy to proclaim that Sardanapallus would give two hundred talents of gold to those who killed Arbaces the Mede, and to those who delivered him up alive, he would present twice as much money and would appoint them governor of Media.
§2.25.3παραπλησίως δʼ ἐπηγγείλατο δώσειν δωρεὰς τοῖς Βέλεσυν τὸν Βαβυλώνιον ἀνελοῦσιν ἢ ζωγρήσασιν.
In like manner he promised to give rewards to those who killed or captured alive Belesys the Babylonian.
οὐδενὸς δὲ προσέχοντος τοῖς κηρύγμασι, συνῆψε μάχην, καὶ πολλοὺς μὲν ἐφόνευσε τῶν ἀποστατῶν, τὸ δʼ ἄλλο πλῆθος συνεδίωξεν εἰς τὴν ἐν τοῖς ὄρεσι παρεμβολήν.
But since no one paid attention to the proclamations, he joined battle, and killed many of the rebels, and pursued the rest of the multitude into their camp in the mountains.
§2.25.4οἱ δὲ περὶ τὸν Ἀρβάκην διὰ τὰς ἥττας ἀθυμοῦντες συνήγαγον τῶν φίλων συνέδριον καὶ προέθηκαν βουλὴν τί δέοι πράττειν.
Those around Arbaces, being despondent because of the defeats, gathered a council of their friends and proposed a deliberation as to what they ought to do.
§2.25.5οἱ πλεῖστοι μὲν οὖν ἔφασαν δεῖν εἰς τὰς πατρίδας ἀπιέναι καὶ τόπους ὀχυροὺς καταλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν εἰς τὸν πόλεμον χρησίμων τὴν ἐνδεχομένην παρασκευὴν ποιεῖσθαι· Βέλεσυς δʼ ὁ Βαβυλώνιος, φήσας τοὺς θεοὺς αὐτοῖς σημαίνειν μετὰ πόνων καὶ κακοπαθείας ἐπὶ τέλος ἄξειν τὴν προαίρεσιν, καὶ τἄλλα παρακαλέσας ἐνδεχομένως, ἔπεισεν ἅπαντας ὑπομένειν τοὺς κινδύνους.
Now the majority said that they should depart to their own countries, occupy strong positions, and make what preparation was possible of the other things useful for the war; but Belesys the Babylonian, saying that the gods were indicating to them that they would bring their purpose to an end after labors and suffering, and having encouraged them in other ways as was fitting, persuaded them all to endure the dangers.
§2.25.6γενομένης οὖν τρίτης παρατάξεως πάλιν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐνίκησε, καὶ τῆς τε παρεμβολῆς τῶν ἀποστατῶν ἐκυρίευσε καὶ τοὺς ἡττηθέντας ἐδίωξε μέχρι τῶν ὅρων τῆς Βαβυλωνίας· συνέβη δὲ καὶ τὸν Ἀρβάκην αὐτὸν λαμπρότατα κινδυνεύσαντα καὶ πολλοὺς ἀνελόντα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων γενέσθαι τραυματίαν.
Therefore, when a third battle took place, the king was again victorious, and became master of the camp of the rebels and pursued the defeated as far as the borders of Babylonia; and it also happened that Arbaces himself, having fought most gloriously and having killed many of the Assyrians, was wounded.
§2.25.7τηλικούτων δʼ ἐλαττωμάτων κατὰ τὸ συνεχὲς γινομένων τοῖς ἀφεστηκόσιν, οἱ τὰς ἡγεμονίας ἔχοντες ἀπελπίσαντες περὶ τῆς νίκης παρεσκευάζοντο διαχωρίζεσθαι πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἕκαστοι τόπους.
Since such great defeats were occurring continuously to the rebels, those who held the commands, having despaired of victory, were preparing to disperse each to their own regions.
§2.25.8ὁ δὲ Βέλεσυς ἐν ὑπαίθρῳ τὴν νύκτα διηγρυπνηκὼς καὶ περὶ τὴν τῶν ἄστρων παρατήρησιν φιλοτιμηθείς, ἔφησε τοῖς ἀπηλπικόσι τὰ πράγματα, ἂν πένθʼ ἡμέρας ἀναμείνωσιν, αὐτομάτην ἥξειν βοήθειαν καὶ μεταβολὴν ἔσεσθαι τῶν ὅλων παμμεγέθη εἰς τοὐναντίον· ταῦτα γὰρ ὁρᾶν διὰ τῆς τῶν ἄστρων ἐμπειρίας προσημαίνοντας αὐτοῖς τοὺς θεούς.
But Belesys, having stayed awake through the night in the open air and having zealously applied himself to the observation of the stars, said to those who had despaired of their affairs that, if they remained for five days, help would come of itself and there would be a very great change of the whole situation to the contrary; for he said he saw that the gods were prefiguring these things to them through his experience of the stars.
καὶ παρεκάλει ταύτας τὰς ἡμέρας μείναντας πεῖραν λαβεῖν τῆς ἰδίας τέχνης καὶ τῆς τῶν θεῶν εὐεργεσίας.
And he exhorted them, remaining these days, to make trial of his own art and of the benevolence of the gods.