they
will meet their Lord, and that
to Him they shall return.
SECTION 5
47Children of Israel, remember
the blessing I bestowed upon you,
and that I favored you
over all peoples°—
48so be fearful of a day
when no soul can help another
nor shall any intercession
from it be accepted
nor any compensation—
none shall be helped.
49And remember when We saved you
from the forces of Pharaoh, who
scourged you with terrible torments,
slaughtering your sons,
sparing only your women.
This was a tremendous trial
from your Lord,
50and We parted the sea for you,
saving you, and drowning
the forces of Pharaoh
as you looked on.
51We arranged for Moses to stay
for forty nights [on Mount Sinai];
then, [while he was gone], you took
the calf as an idol°—you did wrong.
52Even after this, We pardoned you
that you might be thankful,
53and We gave Moses the Book
and the criterion of right and wrong°
that you might be guided;
54and Moses said to his people,
“My people,
You have wronged yourselves,
worshipping the calf. So turn,
in repentance, to your Maker,
and kill [the evil in] yourselves.°
That will be better for you
in the sight of your Maker.”
Then God relented to you—
He is Relenting, Ever Merciful.
55And you said, “Moses,
we’ll never believe in you
until we see God, appearing.”
Then the thunderbolt
struck you, as you looked on.
56Then We raised you up, after death,
that you might be thankful,
57and [We brought down]
clouds to shade you,
and We sent down
to you manna and quail, saying,
“Eat of the good things
We have given you,”
for they did not wrong Us
but wronged themselves.
58And We said, “Enter this town
and eat freely there, wherever
you will, but enter the gate
bowing low, voicing repentance.
We will forgive your mistakes
and increase the reward
of those who do good.”
59But the wrongdoers distorted
the word they had been given,
so We sent down upon them
a plague from the sky
for they were disobedient.
SECTION 6
60And remember when
Moses prayed for water
for his people. We said,
“Strike the rock with your staff.”
Twelve springs gushed out from it,
and each tribe° knew
its drinking place.
“Eat and drink from what God gives,
and refrain from wicked action, sowing
corruption in the land.”
61And you° said, “Moses,
we can’t abide just one kind
of food, so entreat your Lord,
for us, to bring out what
the earth grows—its herbs,
cucumbers, garlic, lentils,
and onions.” He replied,
“Would you exchange
what is better for what is worse?
Go down to any town,
and you shall get what you ask for.”
They were struck
with humiliation and misery,
drawing upon themselves
the wrath of God.
They always denied God’s signs
and killed the prophets unjustly:
they were always disobedient,
always transgressing.
SECTION 7
62Those who believe, including
the Jews, Christians, and Sabians°–
all who believe in God
and the last day
and do good works—
they shall have
a reward from their Lord,
and they shall have no fear,
nor shall they grieve.
63And We took a pledge from you,
and raised the Mount [of Sinai],
towering above you,
[saying], “Hold fast to what
We gave you, and remember
what it contains, that you might
remain mindful of God.”
64But you turned back,
even after that, and
were it not for God’s grace
upon you, and His mercy,
you would be in loss.
65You knew those among you
who broke the Sabbath;
We said to them,
“Become apes, despised.”°
66We made this a deterrent
to those present, as well as those
who came after them—a warning
for those mindful of God.
67And when Moses told his people,
“God commands you
to sacrifice a cow,”
they retorted,
“Are you making fun of us?”
He responded, “God forbid
that I should be so ignorant.”°
68They said, “Pray to your Lord
to make clear to us what cow it is.”
He replied, “He says it should be
neither old nor young
but of middle years;
so do as you’re commanded.”
69They said, “Pray to your Lord
to tell us what color it should be.”
He replied, “He says it should be
bright yellow, pleasing
to those who see it.”
70They said, “Pray to your Lord°
to tell us exactly which cow—
to us all cows are alike.
We will be guided, if God wills.”
71Moses answered, “He says
it should be a cow not trained
to till the soil, nor
to water the fields;
perfect, without blemish.”
They exclaimed, “Now you’ve provided
the facts!”°
Then, still vacillating,
they offered her in sacrifice.
SECTION 8
72And when you Israelites
killed someone and argued
about who was to blame,
God revealed what
you had concealed.
73So We said, “Strike
the dead body with a piece
of the cow.” This is how
God brings the dead to life
and shows you His signs,
that you might use reason.
74Yet, even after that, your hearts
were hardened—like rocks,
or harder—for there are rocks
from which rivers gush forth,
and some which split to yield
streams running out,
and others that fall down
in fear of God;
for God is not heedless
of what you do.
75So, can you believers really hope
that they will believe you,
when a group of them
used to hear the words of God
and distort them willfully,
though they understood them?
76When they meet the believers,
they say, “We believe.” But when
they are with one another in private,
they say, “Why would you tell them
what God has revealed to you—
just so that they could argue it
against you before your Lord?
Do you not understand?”
77Do they not know that God
knows well what they conceal
and what they reveal?
78Among them are unlettered people
who don’t know the Book;
they take from it notions
to please themselves,
and merely conjecture.
79And woe to those who write
the Book with their own hands,
claiming, “This is from God”—
selling it for a paltry price.
Woe to them for what
their hands have written,
and what they earn by this.
80And they say, “The fire will
touch us only for some days.”
Say, “Has God promised you this?
—for God never breaks his promise—
Or, are you imputing to God
what you do not know?”
81No, those who reap evil,
engulfed by their sins,
shall be inmates of the fire,
where they shall stay forever.
82But those who believe
and do good works
shall live in the garden,
where they shall stay forever.
SECTION 9
83We made a covenant
with the children of Israel,
“Worship none but the One God,
and treat kindly your parents
and family, as well as orphans
and the poor. Speak kindly to people,
be steadfast in prayer,
and give what is due in charity.”
But then, all but a few of you
turned back—
and still you turn away.
84We made a covenant
with you: do not shed
one another’s blood, nor
drive one another from your homes;
you pledged this,
as you yourselves bore witness.
85Yet now, you are the ones
killing one another, driving
some from their homes,
helping one another in sin
and wronging them;
and if they come to you as captives,
you ransom them, though you were
forbidden to expel them.
Do you, then, believe in part
of the Book but deny another part?
What is the reward for those of you
who act like this except
disgrace in this life, and to be
sent back [to your Creator]
for the harshest torment
on the day of resurrection?
God is not heedless of what you do.
86These are the people who
trade the hereafter
for the life of this world;
their torment shall not be lightened,
nor shall they be helped.
SECTION 10
87We gave Moses the Book,
and We sent after him a series
of messengers. We gave clear signs
to Jesus, son of Mary, whom We
strengthened with the holy spirit.°
Whenever a messenger
came to you, bringing what you
did not desire, did you not grow proud,
denying some and killing others?
88They say, “Our hearts are closed
[against what you say.]” No—
God curses them for their disbelief;
and little do they believe.
89When there came to them
a Book from God, confirming what
they had before—and though they
had been praying for victory
against those who disbelieved—
even when they knew the truth
had come to them, they denied it;
and God curses the disbelievers.
90They have sold their souls
for a wicked price, by denying
what God has revealed, grudging
that God bestows His grace upon
whom He chooses of His servants.
So they have brought upon
themselves wrath upon wrath;
and the disbelievers will face
disgraceful torment.
91When they are told, “Believe
in what God has revealed,”
they say, “We believe
in what was revealed to us,”
but they deny what came after it,
even though it is the truth
confirming [the message]
they already had.
Say, “If you are believers, why
did you kill God’s prophets before?
92“Moses came to you
with clear signs; then,
while he was gone, you took
the calf as an idol—you did wrong.”
93And We took a pledge from you,
and raised Mount [Sinai],
towering above you,
[saying], “Hold fast to what
We have given you, and hear Us,”
they said, “We hear and disobey.”
And, through their disbelief,
their hearts were made to drink
devotion to the calf.
Say, “If you are believers,
what your faith commands
you to do is wicked.”
94Say, “If the final home with God
is for you alone, of all peoples,
you should hope for death—if
you are being truthful.”
95But they will never hope
for death—on account of
the deeds they have accrued;°
and God Knows all
that the wrongdoers do.
96You will find that they
are the people most attached to life—
even more than the polytheists.
Every one of them would love
to be granted life for a thousand years.
But that life-span would not drag them
away from the punishment,
for God Sees all that they do.
SECTION 11
97Say, “As for those who declare
themselves enemies of Gabriel—
know that it is he
who brought down [this message]
to your heart, by God’s leave,
confirming the previous scriptures
you already have, with guidance
and joyous news for the believers—
98“As for the disbelievers who are
enemies of God, His angels,
and His messengers
—as well as Gabriel and Michael°—
God is their enemy.”
99We have revealed to you
clear signs, and only
the disobedient deny them.
100Whenever they make a covenant,
why does a group of them throw it
aside? Most of them don’t believe.
101And when a messenger came
to them from God, confirming
the scripture they already had,
a group of those among
the people of the Book
ignored the Book of God,°
as if they had not known of it.
102They followed what
the demons recited about the reign
of Solomon;° it was not Solomon
who disbelieved, but the demons—
they taught people magic and what
was revealed to the two angels
in Babylon, Harut and Marut.°
Yet before they taught anyone,
these two always warned,
“We are only testing you.
So don’t disbelieve.”
From these two, [the disbelievers]
learned only to sow discord
between husband and wife,
though they could not harm anyone
by it except with God’s leave.
And they learned only things
that could harm them, not profit them—
knowing that whoever bought
this magic would have no share
in the hereafter.
They sold their souls at
a wicked price—if only they knew.
103Had they believed and been
mindful of God, they would have had
a better reward from their Lord—
if only they knew.
SECTION 12
104You who believe, don’t say,
“See us,” but “Look at us”—and
listen to him.° For the unbelievers
shall face painful torment.
105The