¹⁵⁰ And when Moses returned to his people, wrathful and grieved, he said: “Evil is what you took up while I was away;¹ were you impatient over the command of your Lord?” And he cast down the tablets, and seized his brother by the head, dragging him to him. Said he: “Son of my mother: the people despised me and were about to kill me. Then cause thou not the enemies to gloat over me,² nor place thou me with the wrongdoing³ people.”

¹⁵¹ He said: “My Lord: forgive Thou me and my brother, and enter Thou us into Thy mercy; and Thou art the most merciful of those who show mercy.”

¹⁵² (Those who took up the calf:¹ there will reach them wrath from their Lord, and humiliation in the life of this world; and thus do We requite the forgers.

¹⁵³ But those who do evil deeds,¹ then repent after that and believe: to them is thy Lord after that forgiving and merciful.)

¹⁵⁴ And when the wrath had calmed in¹ Moses, he took up the tablets; and in their inscription were guidance and mercy for those who fear their Lord.

¹⁵⁵ And Moses chose of his people seventy men for Our appointed time; then when the earthquake seized them, he said: “My Lord: if Thou hadst willed, Thou wouldst have destroyed them before, and me. Wilt Thou destroy us for what the foolish among us have done? It is but Thy means of denial:¹ Thou sendest whom Thou wilt astray thereby, and guidest whom Thou wilt. Thou art our ally, so forgive Thou us, and have Thou mercy on us; and Thou art the best of those who forgive.

¹⁵⁶ “And prescribe Thou for us in the World good, and in the Hereafter; we have returned¹ to Thee.” He said: “I strike with My punishment whom I will; but My mercy encompasses all things: I will ordain it² for those of prudent fear,³ and who render the purity,⁴ and those who believe in⁵ Our proofs:⁶

¹⁵⁷ “Those who follow the Messenger, the unschooled¹ prophet, whom² they find written with them in the Torah³ and the Gospel,⁴ who enjoins on them what is fitting⁵ and forbids them perversity,⁶ and making lawful for them the good things, and making unlawful for them the bad, and relieving them of their burden⁷ and the fetters that were upon them — those who believed in⁸ him, and supported him, and helped him, and followed the light which was sent down with him: it is they who are the successful.”⁹

¹⁵⁸ (Say thou: “O mankind: I am the messenger of God to you all together — to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth. There is no god save He.¹ He gives life and He gives death.” So believe in² God and His messenger, the unschooled³ prophet, who believes in⁴ God and His words; and follow him,⁵ that you might be guided.)

¹⁵⁹ And among the people of Moses is a community which guides by the truth,¹ and does justice thereby.

¹⁶⁰ And We divided them into twelve tribes as communities.¹ And We instructed² Moses when his people sought water of him: “Strike thou with thy staff the rock”; and there gushed therefrom twelve springs — each people knew its drinking-place. And We caused the cloud to overshadow them, and sent down upon them manna and quails: “Eat of the good things that We provided you.” And they wronged Us not, but they wronged their souls.

¹⁶¹ And when it was said to them: “Dwell in this city, and eat of it wheresoever you will; and say: ‘A mitigation!’¹ And enter the gate in submission;² We will forgive you your offences.³ We will increase the doers of good.”

¹⁶² Then those who did wrong among them changed the word¹ to other than what had been said to them; so We sent upon them a scourge from the sky because they did wrong.

¹⁶³ And ask thou them about the town that was by the sea, when they transgressed the Sabbath, when their fish came to them openly¹ on the day of their Sabbath. But on the day they had no Sabbath, they came not to them. Thus did We try them, because they were perfidious.²

¹⁶⁴ And when a community among them said: “Why admonish you a people whom God will destroy or punish with a severe punishment?” they said: “As justification¹ before your Lord; and that they might be in prudent fear.”²

¹⁶⁵ And when they¹ forgot that whereof they had been reminded, We delivered those who forbade evil,² and seized those who did wrong with a wretched punishment, because they were perfidious.³

¹⁶⁶ And when they scorned what they had been forbidden, We said to them: “Be despised apes!”

¹⁶⁷ And when thy Lord proclaimed that He would raise up against them, until the Day of Resurrection, him who would afflict them with an evil punishment[...].¹ Thy Lord is swift in retribution; and He is forgiving and merciful.

¹⁶⁸ And We divided¹ them in the earth into communities² — some of them righteous, and some of them other than that — and We tried them with good things and evil deeds,³ that they might return.

¹⁶⁹ And there followed after them successors who inherited the Writ,¹ taking the goods of this fleeting life,² and saying: “It will be forgiven us.” And if there come to them goods the like thereof, they will take them. Has there not been taken from³ them an agreement to the Writ,⁴ that they ascribe not to God save the truth,⁵ and that they study what is therein? And the abode of the Hereafter is better for those of prudent fear.⁶ Will you then not⁷ use reason!

¹⁷⁰ And those who hold fast the Writ,¹ and uphold the duty² — We cause not to be lost the reward of those who do right.

¹⁷¹ And when We raised¹ the mountain above them as if it were a canopy: — and they supposed it was to fall upon them² — “Hold fast what We give you; and remember what is therein, that you might be in prudent fear.”³

¹⁷² And when thy Lord brought forth from the children of Adam, from their backs,¹ their progeny, and made them bear witness as to themselves: “Am I not your Lord?” — they said: “Verily,² we bear witness.” — “Lest you say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘Of this were we unaware,’

¹⁷³ “Or you say: ‘Our fathers but ascribed a partnership¹ before, and we were progeny after them; wilt Thou then destroy us for what the creators of vanity did?’”

¹⁷⁴ And thus¹ do We set out and detail² the proofs,³ and that they might return.

¹⁷⁵ And recite thou to them the report of him to whom We gave Our proofs,¹ but he detached himself from them; so the satan² followed³ him, and he was of those who err.

¹⁷⁶ And had We willed, We would have raised him thereby;¹ but he clung to the earth and followed his vain desire. So his likeness is as the likeness of a dog: if thou win him over,² he pants; or if thou leave him, he pants.³ That is the likeness of the people who deny Our proofs;⁴ so relate thou to them the story, that they might reflect.

¹⁷⁷ Evil as an example are the people who deny Our proofs,¹ and they wrong their souls.

¹⁷⁸ Whom God guides, he is guided; and whom God sends astray, it is they who are the losers.

¹⁷⁹ And We have created¹ for Gehenna many among the domini² and the servi:³ they have hearts wherewith they understand not; and they have eyes wherewith they see not; and they have ears wherewith they hear not. Those are like cattle; nay,⁴ — they are further astray — it is they who are the heedless.

¹⁸⁰ And to God belong the fairest names; then call to Him by them, and leave those who deviate concerning His names;¹ they will be rewarded for what they did.

¹⁸¹ And among those We created is a community which guides in truth¹ and does justice thereby.²

¹⁸² And those who deny Our proofs:¹ We will deal with them by degrees whence² they know not.

¹⁸³ And I grant them respite; My plan is firm.¹

¹⁸⁴ Have they not reflected? Their companion is not possessed;¹ he is only a clear warner.

¹⁸⁵ Have they not considered the dominion of the heavens and the earth, and what things God has created, and that it may be that their term has drawn nigh? And in what narration¹ after this will they believe?

¹⁸⁶ Whom God sends astray, there is no guide for him; and He leaves them wandering blindly in their inordinacy.

¹⁸⁷ They ask thee concerning the Hour: “When is its arrival?”¹ Say thou: “Knowledge thereof is but with my Lord; none reveals its time save He. It weighs heavily in the heavens and the earth; it comes not upon you save unexpectedly.” They ask thee as though thou wert privy² thereto; say thou: “Knowledge thereof is but with God”;³ but most men know not.

¹⁸⁸ Say thou: “I have no power to do myself benefit or harm save that God should will. And had I knowledge of the Unseen, I would have acquired abundance of wealth, and evil would not have touched me; I am only a warner and bearer of glad tidings to people who believe.”

¹⁸⁹ He it is that created you from a single soul; and He created therefrom its mate,¹ that he might be reassured thereby.² Then when he covers³ her, she bears a light load, and she passes by with it.⁴ And when it becomes heavy they⁵ call to God, their Lord: “If Thou givest us a sound one,⁶ we will be among the grateful.”

¹⁹⁰ Then when He gives them¹ a sound one, they² appoint Him partners³ in what He gave them;⁴ but exalted is God above that to which they ascribe a partnership!⁵

¹⁹¹ Ascribe they¹ a partnership² to what creates not anything, when they³ are created?

¹⁹² And they¹ are not able to help them, nor do they² help themselves.

¹⁹³ And¹ if you² invite them³ to the guidance, they follow you not: — it is the same to you whether you call to them, or are silent —

¹⁹⁴ Those to whom you¹ call other than² God are servants like you;³ so call them,⁴ and let them respond⁵ to you if you⁶ be truthful.

¹⁹⁵ Have they¹ legs wherewith they walk?² Or have they hands wherewith they hold?³ Or have they eyes wherewith they see?⁴ Or have they ears wherewith they hear?⁵ Say thou: “Call your partners;⁶ then scheme against me, and grant me no respite.

¹⁹⁶ “My ally is God¹ who sent down the Writ;² and He is an ally to the righteous.³

¹⁹⁷ “And those to whom you¹ call other than² Him are unable to help you,³ nor do they⁴ help themselves.”

¹⁹⁸ And if you invite them¹ to guidance, they hear not;² and thou seest them looking at thee, but they see not.³

¹⁹⁹ Take thou the surplus;¹ and enjoin thou what is customary;² and turn thou away from the ignorant.³