Prevod
The frogs, unhappy at having no ruler, sent envoys to Zeus, begging him to give them a king. Seeing how foolish they were, he set a log in the middle of the pond. The frogs shrank back in terror and dived into the depths. But after a long time, seeing that the log never moved, they lost their fear and came to hold it in such contempt that they climbed onto it and sat upon it. Unwilling to have it as their king, they went to Zeus a second time and begged him to replace it. This time he gave them an eel for a king. But when they saw its meek nature, they would not accept it. So they went to Zeus a third time, asking him to replace this king too. Angered by them, Zeus sent a water snake, which ate the frogs one by one.
The fable shows that it is better to obey a god than to have wicked and troublesome rulers.
Izvirnik
Βάτραχοι λυπούμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτῶν ἀναρχίᾳ, πρέσβεις ἔπεμψαν, ἱκετεύοντες τὸν Δία, ὅπως αὐτοῖς βασιλέα παράσχῃ. Ὁ δὲ συνιδών αὐτῶν τὴν εὐήθειαν, ξύλον ἔπηξε μέσον τῆς λίμνης. Συστελλόμενοι δὲ τῷ φόβῳ οἱ βάτραχοι, εἰς τὰ βάθη ἑαυτούς κατέδυον. Χρόωου δὲ πολλοῦ παρωχηκότος, ὡς ἑώρων τὸ ξύλον ἀκίνητον, ἀπεβάλοντο τὸν φόβον, καὶ τοσοῦτον κατεφρόνησαν αὐτοῦ, ὥστε ἐπιβαίνειν καὶ ἐπικαθέζεσθαι τούτῳ. Μὴ ἀξιοῦντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἔχειν βασιλέα, ἐκ δευτέρου ἦλθον πρὸς τὸν Δία, καὶ παρεκάλουν ἀλλάξαι αὐτόν. Τότε δʼ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς βασιλέα ἔγχελυν. Ἰδόντες δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν εὐήθειαν, οὐκ ἀπεδέξαντο αὐτόν. Ἦλθον οὖν ἐκ τρίτου πρὸς τὸν Δία, ὅπως καὶ τοῦτον ἀλλάξῃ. Καὶ ὁ Ζεὺς ἀγανακτήσας κατʼ αὐτῶν, ὕδραν ἔπεμψεν, ἥτις ἕνα καθʼ ἕνα τῶν βατράχων ἤσθιεν.
Ὁ μῦθος δηλοῖ, ὅτι ἄμεινόν ἐστι θεῷ πείθεσθαι, καὶ μὴ πονηροὺς ἔχειν ἄρχοντας καὶ ταραχοποιούς.
