Herodotus - The capture of Babylon

ὁ Κῦρος ἤλαυνεν ἐπὶ τὴν Βαβυλῶνα.

Cyrus marched against Babylon

οἱ δὲ Βαβυλώνιοι ἐκστρατευσάμενοι ἔμενον αὐτόν.

But the Babylonians marched out to battle and were waiting for him

ἐπεὶ δὲ ἐγένετο ἐλαύνων ἀγχοῦ τῆς πόλεως

but when he came near to the city while riding

συνέβαλόν τε οἱ Βαβυλώνιοι καὶ ἡττηθέντες τῇ μάχῃ κατειλήθησαν ἐς τὸ ἄστυ

The Babylonians both joined the battle and after being defeated in the fight were forced into the city

ᾗ εἶχον σιτία ἐτῶν κάρτα πολλῶν.

where they had food for very many years

νταῦθα οὗτοι μὲν λόγον εἶχον τῆς πολιορκίας οὐδένα

then while they paid no attention to the siege

Κῦρος δὲ ἀπορίαις ἐνείχετο

on the other hand Cyrus was at a loss

τέλος δὲ ἐποίει δὴ τοιόνδε.

But finally he began to do as follows.

τάξας τὴν στρατιὰν ᾗ ὁ ποταμὸς εἰς τὴν πόλιν εἰσβάλλει,

after arranging the army, where the river flows into the city

καὶ αὖθις ὄπισθε τῆς πόλεως τάξας ἑτέρους,

and in turn arranging the rest behind the city,

ᾗ ἐξίησιν ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ὁ ποταμός

where the river flows out from the city

 προεῖπε τῷ στρατῷ, ὅταν διαβατὸν τὸ ῥεῖθρον ἴδωσι γενόμενον

he ordered the army, when they saw that the river had become crossable

εἰσιέναι ταύτῃ εἰς τὴν πόλιν.

to go into the city by this way

οὕτω τε δὴ τάξας καὶ παραινέσας

after both arranging them in this way and giving instructions

 ἀπήλαυνεν αὐτὸς σὺν τῷ ἀχρείῳ τοῦ στρατοῦ.

he himself rode away with the non combative part of the army

ἀφικόμενος δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν λίμνην, οὖσαν ἕλος,

and after arriving at the lake, which was a marsh

 τὸν ποταμὸν διώρυχι εἰσαγαγών

and diverting the river with channels

τὸ ἀρχαῖον ῥεῖθρον διαβατὸν εἶναι ἐποίησεν,

he made the old river become passable

ὑπονοστήσαντος τοῦ ποταμοῦ

since the river had dropped down