فَلَم يَزِدهُم دُعائي إِلّا فِرارًا

But my call only increased their flight away.

وَإِنّي كُلَّما دَعَوتُهُم لِتَغفِرَ لَهُم جَعَلوا أَصابِعَهُم في آذانِهِم وَاستَغشَوا ثِيابَهُم وَأَصَرّوا وَاستَكبَرُوا استِكبارًا

Whenever I urged them to seek Your forgiveness, they would stick their fingers in their ears, cover themselves with their garments, persist in their stubbornness, and grow increasingly arrogant.

ثُمَّ إِنّي دَعَوتُهُم جِهارًا

I called out to them openly.

ثُمَّ إِنّي أَعلَنتُ لَهُم وَأَسرَرتُ لَهُم إِسرارًا

And I appealed to them publicly, and I spoke with them privately.

فَقُلتُ استَغفِروا رَبَّكُم إِنَّهُ كانَ غَفّارًا

I said, ‘Seek forgiveness from your Lord, for He is Ever-Forgiving.

وَيُمدِدكُم بِأَموالٍ وَبَنينَ وَيَجعَل لَكُم جَنّاتٍ وَيَجعَل لَكُم أَنهارًا

And provide you with wealth and children, and bless you with gardens, and grant you rivers.

ما لَكُم لا تَرجونَ لِلَّهِ وَقارًا

What’s the matter with you, that you don’t attribute to God due grandeur.

وَقَد خَلَقَكُم أَطوارًا

When He created you in stages.

أَلَم تَرَوا كَيفَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ سَبعَ سَماواتٍ طِباقًا

Don’t you see how God created seven heavens in perfect harmony?

وَجَعَلَ القَمَرَ فيهِنَّ نورًا وَجَعَلَ الشَّمسَ سِراجًا

And He made the moon a luminary in them, and He made the sun a glowing lamp.