ἀνδροφόνῳ σαθρὸν παρὰ τειχίον ὑπνώοντι
νυκτὸς ἐπιστῆναι φασὶ Σάραπιν ὄναρ,
καὶ χρησμῳδῆσαι:
κατακείμενος οὗτος, ἀνίστω,

καὶ κοιμῶ μεταβάς, ὦ τάλας, ἀλλαχόθι.



ὃς δὲ διυπνισθεὶς μετέβη. τὸ δὲ σαθρὸν ἐκεῖνο
τειχίον ἐξαίφνης εὐθὺς ἔκειτο χαμαί.
σῶστρα δ᾽ ἕωθεν ἔθυε θεοῖς χαίρων ὁ κακοῦργος,
ἥδεσθαι νομίσας τὸν θεὸν ἀνδροφόνοις.
ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Σάραπις ἔχρησε πάλιν, διὰ νυκτὸς ἐπιστάς:

κήδεσθαί με δοκεῖς, ἄθλιε, τῶν ἀδίκων;

εἰ μὴ νῦν σε μεθῆκα θανεῖν, θάνατον μὲν ἄλυπον

νῦν ἔφυγες, σταυρῷ δ᾽ ἴσθι φυλαττόμενος.

— Paton edition

They say that Sarapis appeared in a dream by
night to a murderer who was sleeping under a de-
cayed wall, and thus spoke as in an oracle : " Arise,
thou who liest here, and seek, poor wretch, another
sleeping place." The man awoke and departed, and
immediately the rotten Avail fell to the ground. The
evil-doer rejoiced, and in the morning sacrificed to the
gods in thanks for his escape, thinking that Sarapis
is pleased with murderers. But Sarapis appeared to
him again at night, and prophesied thus to him :
" Wretch, dost thou think that I protect criminals ?
If I did not let thee be killed now, it is that thou
now hast escaped a painless death ; but know that
thou art reserved for the cross."

— Paton edition

They say that Sarapis appeared in a dream by
night to a murderer who was sleeping under a de-
cayed wall, and thus spoke as in an oracle : " Arise,
thou who liest here, and seek, poor wretch, another
sleeping place." The man awoke and departed, and
immediately the rotten Avail fell to the ground. The
evil-doer rejoiced, and in the morning sacrificed to the
gods in thanks for his escape, thinking that Sarapis
is pleased with murderers. But Sarapis appeared to
him again at night, and prophesied thus to him :
" Wretch, dost thou think that I protect criminals ?
If I did not let thee be killed now, it is that thou
now hast escaped a painless death ; but know that
thou art reserved for the cross."

— Paton edition

ἀνδροφόνῳ σαθρὸν παρὰ τειχίον ὑπνώοντι
νυκτὸς ἐπιστῆναι φασὶ Σάραπιν ὄναρ,
καὶ χρησμῳδῆσαι:
κατακείμενος οὗτος, ἀνίστω,

καὶ κοιμῶ μεταβάς, ὦ τάλας, ἀλλαχόθι.



ὃς δὲ διυπνισθεὶς μετέβη. τὸ δὲ σαθρὸν ἐκεῖνο
τειχίον ἐξαίφνης εὐθὺς ἔκειτο χαμαί.
σῶστρα δ᾽ ἕωθεν ἔθυε θεοῖς χαίρων ὁ κακοῦργος,
ἥδεσθαι νομίσας τὸν θεὸν ἀνδροφόνοις.
ἀλλ᾽ ὁ Σάραπις ἔχρησε πάλιν, διὰ νυκτὸς ἐπιστάς:

κήδεσθαί με δοκεῖς, ἄθλιε, τῶν ἀδίκων;

εἰ μὴ νῦν σε μεθῆκα θανεῖν, θάνατον μὲν ἄλυπον

νῦν ἔφυγες, σταυρῷ δ᾽ ἴσθι φυλαττόμενος.

— Paton edition