“Begetting and begotten” (τεκνοῦντα καὶ τεκνούμενον) is now the third in a series of apparent riddles. The Chorus must be referring to the incest of which it has just learned, but again this assumption indicts the god who ordained it and, despite Oidipous’s efforts to the contrary, contrived its realization. Yet Oidipous’s very effort likens him to his father (begotten likened to begetter), for in doing everything in his power to avoid behavior that he knew to be wrong, he affronted the god himself. He set himself up to negate not only the god’s words, but the god’s project and the values driving it. He hild his own judgment of right and wrong above that of a god. He then committed his mortal power against divine power with the intention of depriving Apollo of his capacity for influence in the mortal domain. In this regard Oidipous is as reprehensible and as deserving of opprobrium as his parents. The propensity for this crime propagates itself through sexual reproduction. In bringing both begetter and begotten to judgment, Apollo reveals a consistent set of priorities: mortals must trust in his interest in their wellbeing and must accept his prophecies as a reliable vehicle for communication between them. Even when a prophecy that was neither desired nor sought reaches one, one is bound to act as it directs or else seek clarification. To do neither is to invite divine punishment. [Gd] [Md] [Mp] [Aj] [P] [Mipd] [Mw]