« وَجاوَزْنا بِبَنِي إِسْرائِيلَ الْبَحْرَ فَأَتَوْا عَلى قَوْمٍ يَعْكُفُونَ عَلى أَصْنامٍ لَهُمْ قالُوا يا مُوسَى اجْعَلْ لَنا إِلهاً كَما لَهُمْ آلِهَةٌ قالَ إِنَّكُمْ قَوْمٌ تَجْهَلُونَ (138) إِنَّ هؤُلاءِ مُتَبَّرٌ ما هُمْ فِيهِ وَباطِلٌ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (139) قالَ أَغَيْرَ اللهِ أَبْغِيكُمْ إِلهاً وَهُوَ فَضَّلَكُمْ عَلَى الْعالَمِينَ (140) وَإِذْ أَنْجَيْناكُمْ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَسُومُونَكُمْ سُوءَ الْعَذابِ يُقَتِّلُونَ أَبْناءَكُمْ وَيَسْتَحْيُونَ نِساءَكُمْ وَفِي ذلِكُمْ بَلاءٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ عَظِيمٌ (141) وَواعَدْنا مُوسى ثَلاثِينَ لَيْلَةً وَأَتْمَمْناها بِعَشْرٍ فَتَمَّ مِيقاتُ رَبِّهِ أَرْبَعِينَ لَيْلَةً وَقالَ مُوسى لِأَخِيهِ هارُونَ اخْلُفْنِي فِي قَوْمِي وَأَصْلِحْ وَلا تَتَّبِعْ سَبِيلَ الْمُفْسِدِينَ (142) وَلَمَّا جاءَ مُوسى لِمِيقاتِنا وَكَلَّمَهُ رَبُّهُ قالَ رَبِّ أَرِنِي أَنْظُرْ إِلَيْكَ قالَ لَنْ تَرانِي وَلكِنِ انْظُرْ إِلَى الْجَبَلِ فَإِنِ اسْتَقَرَّ مَكانَهُ فَسَوْفَ تَرانِي فَلَمَّا تَجَلَّى رَبُّهُ لِلْجَبَلِ جَعَلَهُ دَكًّا وَخَرَّ مُوسى صَعِقاً فَلَمَّا أَفاقَ قالَ سُبْحانَكَ تُبْتُ إِلَيْكَ وَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (143) قالَ يا مُوسى إِنِّي اصْطَفَيْتُكَ عَلَى النَّاسِ بِرِسالاتِي وَبِكَلامِي فَخُذْ ما آتَيْتُكَ وَكُنْ مِنَ الشَّاكِرِينَ (144) وَكَتَبْنا لَهُ فِي الْأَلْواحِ مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ مَوْعِظَةً وَتَفْصِيلاً لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ فَخُذْها بِقُوَّةٍ وَأْمُرْ قَوْمَكَ يَأْخُذُوا بِأَحْسَنِها سَأُرِيكُمْ دارَ الْفاسِقِينَ (145) سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ آياتِيَ الَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لا يُؤْمِنُوا بِها وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الرُّشْدِ لا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلاً وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلاً ذلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا وَكانُوا عَنْها غافِلِينَ (146) وَالَّذِينَ كَذَّبُوا بِآياتِنا وَلِقاءِ الْآخِرَةِ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمالُهُمْ هَلْ يُجْزَوْنَ إِلاَّ ما كانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ (147) وَاتَّخَذَ قَوْمُ مُوسى مِنْ بَعْدِهِ مِنْ حُلِيِّهِمْ عِجْلاً جَسَداً لَهُ خُوارٌ أَلَمْ يَرَوْا أَنَّهُ لا يُكَلِّمُهُمْ وَلا يَهْدِيهِمْ سَبِيلاً اتَّخَذُوهُ وَكانُوا ظالِمِينَ (148) وَلَمَّا سُقِطَ فِي أَيْدِيهِمْ وَرَأَوْا أَنَّهُمْ قَدْ ضَلُّوا قالُوا لَئِنْ لَمْ يَرْحَمْنا رَبُّنا وَيَغْفِرْ لَنا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْخاسِرِينَ (149) وَلَمَّا رَجَعَ مُوسى إِلى قَوْمِهِ غَضْبانَ أَسِفاً قالَ بِئْسَما خَلَفْتُمُونِي مِنْ بَعْدِي أَعَجِلْتُمْ أَمْرَ رَبِّكُمْ وَأَلْقَى الْأَلْواحَ وَأَخَذَ بِرَأْسِ أَخِيهِ يَجُرُّهُ إِلَيْهِ قالَ ابْنَ أُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَوْمَ اسْتَضْعَفُونِي وَكادُوا يَقْتُلُونَنِي فَلا تُشْمِتْ بِيَ الْأَعْداءَ وَلا تَجْعَلْنِي مَعَ الْقَوْمِ الظَّالِمِينَ (150) قالَ رَبِّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَلِأَخِي وَأَدْخِلْنا فِي رَحْمَتِكَ وَأَنْتَ أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ (151) إِنَّ الَّذِينَ اتَّخَذُوا الْعِجْلَ سَيَنالُهُمْ غَضَبٌ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ وَذِلَّةٌ فِي الْحَياةِ الدُّنْيا وَكَذلِكَ نَجْزِي الْمُفْتَرِينَ (152) وَالَّذِينَ عَمِلُوا السَّيِّئاتِ ثُمَّ تابُوا مِنْ بَعْدِها وَآمَنُوا إِنَّ رَبَّكَ مِنْ بَعْدِها لَغَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (153) وَلَمَّا سَكَتَ عَنْ مُوسَى الْغَضَبُ أَخَذَ الْأَلْواحَ وَفِي نُسْخَتِها هُدىً وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلَّذِينَ هُمْ لِرَبِّهِمْ يَرْهَبُونَ (154)
138. And We brought the Children of Israel across the sea, and they came unto a people who were given up to idols which they had. They said: O Moses! Make for us a god even as they have gods. He said: Lo! ye are a folk who know not.
139. Lo! as for these, their way will be destroyed and all that they are doing is in vain.
140. He said: Shall I seek for you a god other than Allah when He hath favoured you above (all) creatures?
141. And (remember) when We did deliver you from Pharaoh's folk who were afflicting you with dreadful torment, slaughtering your sons and sparing your women. That was a tremendous trial from your Lord.
142. And when We did appoint for Moses thirty nights (of solitude), and added to them ten, and he completed the whole time appointed by his Lord of forty nights; and Moses said unto his brother, Aaron: Take my place among the people. Do right, and follow not the way of mischief-makers.
143. And when Moses came to Our appointed tryst and his Lord had spoken unto him, he said: My Lord! Show me (Thy Self), that I may gaze upon Thee. He said: Thou wilt not see Me, but gaze upon the mountain! If it stand still in its place, then thou wilt see Me. And when his Lord revealed (His) glory to the mountain He sent it crashing down. And Moses fell down senseless. And when he woke he said: Glory unto Thee! I turn unto Thee repentant, and I am the first of (true) believers.
144. He said: O Moses! I have preferred thee above mankind by My messages and by My speaking (unto thee). So hold that which I have given thee, and be among the thankful.
145. And We wrote for him, upon the tablets, the lesson to be drawn from all things and the explanation of all things, then (bade him): Hold it fast; and command thy people (saying): Take the better (course made clear) therein. I shall show thee the abode of evil-livers.
146. I shall turn away from My revelations those who magnify themselves wrongfully in the earth, and if they see each token believe it not, and if they see the way of righteousness choose it nor for (their) way, and if they see the way of error choose if for (their) way. That is because they deny Our revelations and are used to disregard them.
147. Those who deny Our revelations and the meeting of the Hereafter, their works are fruitless. Are they requited aught save what they used to do?
148. And the folk of Moses, after (he left them), chose a calf (for worship), (made) out of their ornaments, of saffron hue, which gave a lowing sound. Saw they not that it spake not unto them nor guided them to any way? They chose it, and became wrong-doers.
149. And when they feared the consequences thereof and saw that they had gone astray, they said: Unless our Lord have mercy on us and forgive us, we verily are of the lost.
150. And when Moses returned unto his people, angry and grieved, he said: Evil is that (course) which ye took after I had left you. Would ye hasten on the judgment of your Lord? And he cast down the tablets, and he seized his brother by the head, dragging him toward him. He said: Son of my mother! Lo! the folk did judge me weak and almost killed me. Oh, make not mine enemies to triumph over me and place me not among the evil-doers.
151. He said: My Lord! Have mercy on me and on my brother; bring us into Thy mercy, Thou the Most Merciful of all who show mercy.
152. Lo! Those who chose the calf (for worship), terror from their Lord and humiliation will come upon them in the life of the world. Thus do We requite those who invent a lie.
153. But those who do ill-deeds and afterward repent and believe - lo! for them, afterward, Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.
154. Then, when the anger of Moses abated, he took up the tablets, and in their inscription there was guidance and mercy for all those who fear their Lord.
English Qurʾān translation: Marmaduke Pickthall. Used provisionally; a Tabsirah translation is forthcoming.
Arabic and English correspond at the section level; paragraphs within the section are not aligned.