Passage 4.12.1
Λακεδαιμονίους δὲ ἐλύπει μὲν καὶ τὸ γεγονὸς πταῖσμα, τεθνεώτων ἐν τῇ μάχῃ πολλῶν τε καὶ ἀξίων λόγου, παρίστατο δὲ καὶ ἐς τὴν πᾶσαν ἐλπίδα τοῦ πολέμου σφίσιν ἀθύμως ἔχειν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θεωροὺς ἀποστέλλουσιν ἐς Δελφούς. τούτοις ἐλθοῦσιν ἡ Πυθία χρᾷ τάδε· οὔ σε μάχης μόνον ἔργʼ ἐφέπειν χερὶ Φοῖβος ἄνωγεν, ἀλλʼ ἀπάτῃ μὲν ἔχει γαῖαν Μεσσηνίδα λαός, ταῖς δʼ αὐταῖς τέχναισιν ἁλώσεται αἷσπερ ὑπῆρξεν.
The Lacedaemonians were deeply grieved by the disaster that had occurred, having lost many notable and worthy men in the battle. Furthermore, the situation appeared hopeless to them with respect to their entire expectation for the war. For this reason, they sent messengers to Delphi to consult the oracle. When these envoys arrived, the Pythia declared this oracle to them: "Phoebus commands you not only to rely upon deeds of war with your hand, but the people hold the Messenian land by deceit, and by the same arts through which they prevailed, they shall themselves be conquered."