¹⁰⁰ Is it not guidance¹ to those who inherit the land after its people that, if We willed, We would strike them for their transgressions,² and seal their hearts so they hear not?

¹⁰¹ Those cities: We relate some of their reports to thee; and their messengers came to them with clear signs, but they were not to believe in¹ what they had denied before; thus God seals the hearts of the false claimers of guidance.²

¹⁰² And We found not for most of them any covenant;¹ but We found most of them perfidious.²

¹⁰³ Then We raised up after them Moses with Our proofs¹ to Pharaoh² and his eminent ones, but they wronged them; then see thou how was the final outcome of the workers of corruption: —

¹⁰⁴ And Moses said: “O Pharaoh:¹ I am a messenger from the Lord of All Creation,

¹⁰⁵ “Obliged to ascribe not to God save the truth.¹ I have come to you with clear evidence from your Lord; so send thou with me the children of Israel.”

¹⁰⁶ Said he: “If thou hast come with a proof,¹ bring thou it, if thou be of the truthful.”

¹⁰⁷ So he cast his staff — and then was it a clear serpent!

¹⁰⁸ And he drew forth his hand — and then was it white for the beholders!

¹⁰⁹ Said the eminent ones of the people of Pharaoh:¹ “This is a learned sorcerer²

¹¹⁰ “Who would turn you out of your land; so what do you command?”

¹¹¹ They said: “Delay thou him and his brother, and send thou into the cities gatherers

¹¹² “To bring to thee every learned sorcerer.”¹

¹¹³ And the sorcerers¹ came to Pharaoh.² They said: “There is a reward for us if we be the victors.”³

¹¹⁴ Said he: “Yea; and you will be of those brought near.”¹

¹¹⁵ They said: “O Moses: wilt thou cast, or will we be the ones who cast?”

¹¹⁶ He said: “Cast.” And when they cast, they bewitched the eyes of the people, and struck fear into them, and they produced a mighty sorcery.¹

¹¹⁷ And We instructed¹ Moses: “Cast thou thy staff,” — and then it swallowed up what they falsified!

¹¹⁸ And the truth¹ was established, and what they did made vain.

¹¹⁹ Thereupon were they defeated; and they turned about, brought low.

¹²⁰ And the sorcerers¹ fell in submission.²

¹²¹ They said: “We believe in¹ the Lord of All Creation,

¹²² “The Lord of Moses and Aaron.”

¹²³ Said Pharaoh:¹ “You believe in² him³ before I gave you leave. This is a scheme you schemed in the city that you might turn out its people. But you will come to know!

¹²⁴ “I will cut off your hands and your feet on opposite sides; then will I crucify¹ you all together.”

¹²⁵ They said: “We are returning to our Lord.

¹²⁶ “And thou resentest us only that we believed in¹ the proofs² of our Lord when they came to us.” — “Our Lord: pour Thou out patience upon us, and take Thou us as ones submitting.”³

¹²⁷ And the eminent ones among the people of Pharaoh¹ said: “Wilt thou leave Moses and his people to work corruption in the land, and leave thee and thy gods?” Said he: “We will kill their sons and spare their women; for² indeed we have them in subjugation.”³

¹²⁸ And Moses said to his people: “Seek help in God, and be patient; the earth belongs to God; He causes to inherit it whom He wills among his servants. And the final outcome is for those of prudent fear.”¹

¹²⁹ They said: “We have been hindered¹ before thou camest to us and since thou camest to us.”² Said he: “It may be that your Lord will destroy your enemy, and make you successors in the earth, so He might see how you will do.”³

¹³⁰ And We seized the house of Pharaoh¹ with drought and loss of crops,² that they might take heed.

¹³¹ And when good came to them, they said: “This is ours.” And if evil¹ befell them, they thought Moses and those with him an evil omen; in truth,² their evil omen was but with God, but most of them knew not.

¹³² And they said: “Whatever proof¹ thou bring us wherewith to bewitch us, we will not believe thee.”

¹³³ And We sent upon them the flood, and the locusts, and the lice, and the frogs, and the blood — proofs¹ set out and detailed² — but they had waxed proud and were a people of lawbreakers.

¹³⁴ And when the scourge came upon them, they said: “O Moses: call thou to thy Lord for us by what He covenanted with thee: if thou remove the scourge from us, we will believe thee, and send the children of Israel with thee.”

¹³⁵ But when We removed the scourge from them to a term they were to reach, then they reneged.

¹³⁶ And We took vengeance on them, and drowned them¹ in the sea² because they denied Our proofs³ and were heedless of them.

¹³⁷ And We caused the people who were despised to inherit the east of the land and its west which We had blessed.¹ And the most fair word of thy Lord was fulfilled to the children of Israel because they were patient; and We annihilated what Pharaoh² and his people wrought and what they built.³

¹³⁸ And We passed the children of Israel through the sea; and they came upon a people devoted to¹ idols² which they had. They said: “O Moses: make thou for us a god, just as they have gods.” He said: “You are a people in ignorance.

¹³⁹ “These: doomed to ruin is what they are in, and vain is what they have been doing.”

¹⁴⁰ He said: “Am I to seek for you a god other than God when He has favoured you above all mankind?”

¹⁴¹ And when We delivered you from the house of Pharaoh,¹ they were afflicting you with an evil punishment, killing your sons, and sparing your women; and in that was a great trial from your Lord.

¹⁴² And We appointed for Moses thirty nights, and completed them with ten; so he completed the time appointed by his Lord of forty nights. And Moses said to his brother Aaron: “Be thou my successor¹ among my people; and make thou right; and follow thou not the path of the workers of corruption.”

¹⁴³ And when Moses came at Our appointed time and his Lord spoke to him, he said: “My Lord: show Thou me that I might look upon Thee.” Said He: “Thou wilt not see Me; but look thou upon the mountain: if it should remain in its place, then thou wilt see Me.” And when his Lord was revealed¹ upon the mountain, He made it level;² and Moses fell down thunderstruck.³ Then when he recovered, he said: “Glory⁴ be to Thee! I turn to Thee repentant; and I am the first of the believers!”⁵

¹⁴⁴ Said He: “O Moses: I have chosen thee above mankind, by My messages and by My words; so hold thou to what I have given thee, and be thou among the grateful.”

¹⁴⁵ And We wrote for him on the tablets every¹ thing as an admonition and an explanation for everything:² “Hold thou them fast, and command thou thy people to take the best thereof. I will show thee the abode of the perfidious:³

¹⁴⁶ “I will divert from My proofs¹ those who wax proud in the earth without cause;² and if they see every proof³ believe in⁴ it not; and if they see the path of sound judgment take it not as a path, but if they see the path of error take it as a path. For it is that⁵ they denied Our proofs⁶ and were heedless of them!”⁷

¹⁴⁷ And those who deny Our proofs¹ and the meeting of the Hereafter: their works are vain; will they be rewarded save for what they did?²

¹⁴⁸ And the people of Moses, while he was away,¹ took up a calf out of their ornaments — a body that lowed. Did they not consider that it spoke not to them, neither guided them to a path? They took it up, and were wrongdoers.²

¹⁴⁹ And when regret overcame them¹ and they saw that they had gone astray, they said: “If our Lord have not mercy on us and forgive us, we will be among the losers.”