فَلَمّا كَشَفنا عَنهُمُ العَذابَ إِذا هُم يَنكُثونَ
But when We relieved their affliction, they immediately broke their promise.
وَنادىٰ فِرعَونُ في قَومِهِ قالَ يا قَومِ أَلَيسَ لي مُلكُ مِصرَ وَهـٰذِهِ الأَنهارُ تَجري مِن تَحتي ۖ أَفَلا تُبصِرونَ
Pharaoh proclaimed among his people, “O my people, do I not rule Egypt, with these rivers flowing beneath me? Can’t you see?
أَم أَنا خَيرٌ مِن هـٰذَا الَّذي هُوَ مَهينٌ وَلا يَكادُ يُبينُ
Am I not superior to this pitiful wretch who can barely express himself?
فَلَولا أُلقِيَ عَلَيهِ أَسوِرَةٌ مِن ذَهَبٍ أَو جاءَ مَعَهُ المَلائِكَةُ مُقتَرِنينَ
Why were no gold bracelets dropped on him, or angels accompanying him in procession?”
فَاستَخَفَّ قَومَهُ فَأَطاعوهُ ۚ إِنَّهُم كانوا قَومًا فاسِقينَ
He fooled his people, and they obeyed him. They were a people prone to wrongdoing.
فَلَمّا آسَفونَا انتَقَمنا مِنهُم فَأَغرَقناهُم أَجمَعينَ
When they provoked Our wrath, We retaliated by drowning them all.
فَجَعَلناهُم سَلَفًا وَمَثَلًا لِلآخِرينَ
And We made them a precedent and an example for future generations.
وَلَمّا ضُرِبَ ابنُ مَريَمَ مَثَلًا إِذا قَومُكَ مِنهُ يَصِدّونَ
When the instance of Jesus, son of Mary, was cited, your people immediately jeered.
وَقالوا أَآلِهَتُنا خَيرٌ أَم هُوَ ۚ ما ضَرَبوهُ لَكَ إِلّا جَدَلًا ۚ بَل هُم قَومٌ خَصِمونَ
They argued, “Are our gods better, or is he?” They posed this question only to argue. They are a quarrelsome lot.
إِن هُوَ إِلّا عَبدٌ أَنعَمنا عَلَيهِ وَجَعَلناهُ مَثَلًا لِبَني إِسرائيلَ
He was but a servant whom We blessed, and We set him an example for the Children of Israel.
وَلَو نَشاءُ لَجَعَلنا مِنكُم مَلائِكَةً فِي الأَرضِ يَخلُفونَ
Had We willed, We could’ve made from you angels to be successors on earth.