The previous post may be found here: https://memoirandremains.wordpress.com/2014/12/18/lucian-of-samosata-concerning-sacrifices-1/

What about those Ethiopians: blessed and thrice happy, as some might says, as they remember joy of Zeus partying with them for 12 days straight – that time he took along all the other gods.

So nothing, so it seems, will the gods do without getting something back: they will selling any good thing to human beings. It is possible to purchase good health for a calf; become rich for four cows; to rule 100 cows; to safely return from Ilios to Pylos, 9 bulls; Aulos to Ilion? A virgin princess. Heccuba paid 12 cows and a robe to Athene tso that the city wouldn’t be destroyed.

It seems that a rooster, a crown or even frankincense will each buy something.

Greek Text and Notes: 

[2] τοὺς δʼ αὖ Αἰθίοπας καὶ μακαρίους καὶ τρισευδαίμονας εἴποι τις ἄν, εἴ γε ἀπομνημονεύει τὴν χάριν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ζεὺς ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπεδείξαντο δώδεκα ἑξῆς ἡμέρας ἑστιάσαντες, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπαγόμενον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεούς. οὕτως οὐδέν, ὡς ἔοικεν, ἀμισθὶ ποιοῦσιν ὧν ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ πωλοῦσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τἀγαθά, καὶ ἔνεστι πρίασθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν τὸ μὲν ὑγιαίνειν, ειʼ τύχοι, βοϊδίου, τὸ δὲ πλουτεῖν βοῶν τεττάρων, τὸ δὲ βασιλεύειν ἑκατόμβης, τὸ δὲ σῶον ἐπανελθεῖν ἐξ Ἰλίου εἰς Πύλον ταύρων ἐννέα, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς Αὐλίδος εἰς Ἴλιον διαπλεῦσαι παρθένου βασιλικῆς. ἡ μὲν γὰρ Ἑκάβη τὸ μὴ ἁλῶναι τὴν πόλιν τότε ἐπρίατο παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς βοῶν δώδεκα καὶ πέπλου. εἰκάζειν δὲ χρὴ πολλὰ εἶναι ἀλεκτρυόνος καὶ στεφάνου καὶ λιβανωτοῦ μόνου παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὤνια.

 

τοὺς δʼ αὖ Αἰθίοπας

Next those Ethiopians

 

καὶ μακαρίους καὶ τρισευδαίμονας

(and) blessed and thrice happy

 

εἴποι τις ἄν

as someone might say

 

εἴ γε ἀπομνημονεύει τὴν χάριν αὐτοῖς

if indeed remebering the joy for them

 

 

ὁ Ζεὺς ἣν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπεδείξαντο δώδεκα ἑξῆς ἡμέρας ἑστιάσαντες

Zeus was with them plainly for 12 days in a row feasting

 

ἑστιάω , Ion. and Dor. ἱστιάω , impf.

A.“εἱστίων” Lys.19.27, Ion. 3sg. “ἱστία” Hdt.7.135 : fut. ἑστιάσω [α_] Antiph.68.1 : aor. 1 “εἱστία_σα” X.Cyr. 1.3.10, Is.8.18, inf. “ἑστιᾶσαι” Ar.Nu.1212 (later “ἡστίασεν” SIG1104.26 (Athens, i B. C.), ἱσστίασεν ib.714.31 (Eretria, ii B. C.)) : pf. “εἱστία_κα” D.21.156:—Med. and Pass., v. infr.: (ἑστία):—receive at one’s hearth or in one’s house, “ξένους” Lys.12.8 ; entertain, feast, τινα Hdt. l.c., Ar.Nu.1212 ; “ἐν δόμοισιν ξένον” E.Alc.765 ; ἑ. τινὰ ἰχθύσι on fish, Pl.R.404b ; at Athens, ἑ. τὴν φυλήν (cf. ἑστίασις) D.21.156 ; “τὴν πόλιν” Arist.EN1122b23 ; of the dining-room, ὁ ἀνδρὼν ὁ..

 

καὶ ταῦτα ἐπαγόμενον καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους θεούς

and these leading also the other gods

οὕτως οὐδέν, ὡς ἔοικεν

thus, no one as it resembles

Thus nothing as it seems

 

ἀμισθὶ ποιοῦσιν ὧν ποιοῦσιν

unrewardly they when doing

 

It seems that they don’t do anything for nothing

 

ἀλλὰ πωλοῦσιν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τἀγαθά

but they sell to human beings good things

 

καὶ ἔνεστι πρίασθαι παρʼ αὐτῶν τὸ μὲν ὑγιαίνειν,

and being possible to buy from them, for instance, health

 

enesti: participle: to be possible.

Priamai: to purchase, aorist infinitive middle

 

ειʼ τύχοι, βοϊδίου,

if say with a calf

εἰ τύχοι as a formula if it should turn out that way, perhaps

βοϊδίου: diminutive of bous; Genitive of the purchase price

 

τὸ δὲ πλουτεῖν βοῶν τεττάρων,

to become rich: four cows

genitive: the purchase price

 

τὸ δὲ βασιλεύειν ἑκατόμβης,

to become king, a hecatomb

 

τὸ δὲ σῶον ἐπανελθεῖν ἐξ Ἰλίου εἰς Πύλον ταύρων ἐννέα,

or a safe return from Ilious to Pylos 9 bulls

 

, καὶ τὸ ἐκ τῆς Αὐλίδος εἰς Ἴλιον διαπλεῦσαι παρθένου βασιλικῆς.

From Aulidos to Ilios to sail through a virigin princess

 

ἡ μὲν γὰρ Ἑκάβη τὸ μὴ ἁλῶναι τὴν πόλιν

For Hecuba to not to be taken captive the city

 

 

Hecuba, the wife of Priam, daughter of Dymas, a Phrygian king, Il. 6.293, Il. 16.718

 

ἁλίσκομαι     V 2-0-24-5-5=36

Ex 22,8; Dt 24,7; Is 8,15; 13,15; 14,10

to be taken, to be conquered, to fall into an enemy’s hand Zech 14,2; to be convicted Ex 22,8 (9); to be taken (metaph.) Sir 9,4; to be caught or detected doing sth [+ptc.] Dt 24,7

Johan Lust, Erik Eynikel, and Katrin Hauspie, A Greek-English Lexicon of the Septuagint : Revised Edition (Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft: Stuttgart, 2003).

 

 

τότε ἐπρίατο παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς βοῶν δώδεκα καὶ πέπλου

that time she bought from Athene of cows 12 and a robe

 

εἰκάζειν δὲ χρὴ πολλὰ εἶναι ἀλεκτρυόνος

and to to be supposed it is necessary much to be a rooster

 

 

καὶ στεφάνου καὶ λιβανωτοῦ μόνου παρʼ αὐτοῖς ὤνια.

And a crown and frankincense alone by this these to buy